We often hear about how we can trust God, for He is always true and faithful.  There is no question whatsoever of God being trustworthy, however, whether God can trust US is another thing altogether.  Let’s read where the Lord Jesus taught the “Parable of the talents”.
Luk 19:12 He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return.
Luk 19:13 And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.
Luk 19:14 But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us.
Luk 19:15  And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.
Luk 19:16 Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds.
Luk 19:17 And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.
Luk 19:18 And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds.
Luk 19:19 And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities.
Luk 19:20 And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin:
Luk 19:21 For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow.
Luk 19:22 And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow:
Luk 19:23 Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury?
Luk 19:24 And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds.
Luk 19:25 (And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.)
Luk 19:26 For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him.
Luk 19:27 But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.
I’d like to bring out some things about this teaching: in verse 13, before the nobleman went away, he called his ten servants, who were members of his own household whom he trusted with his goods.  Notice he told them “Occupy till I come”. That means, “Do with my goods exactly as I would do if I were here.” He gave them COMPLETE power of attorney over his household in his absence.  Now that is TRUST, because these were SERVANTS, not masters.  We are the SERVANTS of Christ Jesus, and yet He trusts us with His authority and His name, AND His goods.  Verse 14 tells us others hated the nobleman, so therefore they must have also hated his servants as well, so most likely the servants would face the same resistance the nobleman did in the community, yet they were to carry on the master’s business regardless.  Verse 15 shows us the nobleman DID indeed return as he promised, and he expected to come back to prosperity, not loss, because he expected the servants to prosper.  God also expects US to prosper in His work.  Just as an “occupying army” does not have to win the war, because they already won the war, they only have to “maintain the victory” that was already won, not to be passive and give it away.  Our heavenly Father has given believers great authority and power, AND HE TRUSTS US WITH IT, but what are we doing with it?
In verse 16, the first servant came and said Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. It’s pretty obvious here that the servant was busy about his master’s work, REALLY busy.  And in spite of whatever resistance he faced because people despised his master, yet this servant diligently applied himself to increase his master’s riches.  And the Lord replied to him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities. You see, the nobleman was rich, yet he noted he gave the servant only ONE pound, a very little amount in light of his vast riches, and he was well pleased and gave the servant TEN CITIES to rule over!
In verse 17 another servant had gained five pounds with the one pound he was entrusted with, and the nobleman was likewise pleased with him. And though he didn’t gain ten pounds like the first one did, according to HIS faithfulness he was given FIVE CITIES to rule over.  So far, so good.  Not everyone has the same ability, yet we are all given the same trust by the LORD to exercise authority over the devil, and to gain ground for the Kingdom of God.  Got that?
But in verse 20, the third servant, KNOWING the character of the nobleman, and the authority granted unto him, did nothing but bury the pound so it wouldn’t get lost.  He was trusted with the master’s goods, but when it came to more than just “talking the walk”, he was afraid use what was entrusted to him, and too lazy to even learn how to make gain for his master. And the master was NOT pleased, and said unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow:
Luk 19:23 Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury?
Luk 19:24 And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds.
Luk 19:25 (And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.)
Luk 19:26 For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him.
Luk 19:27 But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.
At the expense of being redundant, I bring it to your attention that “if you don’t use it, you lose it”, that you are EXPECTED to use the authority granted unto you to overcome the works the devil is doing in not only your own life, but in others as well, just like your LORD JESUS did.  After all, if you are His disciple, then you should be learning His ways and applying them.  And if you aren’t?  Even that authority you have been granted will be taken away from you and given to someone who WILL put it to work for the Kingdom of God.  And verse 27?  Well, that wicked servant who did nothing to bring gain to his master was also considered one that didn’t want his master to reign over him, else the fruit of his life would have proven different.  Bottom line?  Either you hear “Well done”, or you will BE “well-done”, as in steak.  Any questions?
Our LORD has given us a tremendous amount of authority and grace.  We can be like the one who gained ten pounds with the one pound he was given, or, gain five pounds, according to our ability.  God created your abilities, He knows what you can and cannot do.  Yet He gives each of us the Holy Spirit to enable us to do even that which we cannot do on our own abilities.  What are we doing with what He has entrusted us with?  Are we working hard to enlarge the Kingdom of God, or do we only care about what is easy and convenient for ourselves?
When I consider everyday life, the LORD has given us authority over the powers of darkness, yet many just let the devil walk all over them, as if they are helpless.  We are NOT helpless, though.  We have been granted unstoppable power to “OCCUPY TILL I COME”, and even over simple stuff like our own bodies, the Lord Jesus took all our sicknesses and diseases upon Himself, leaving us with wholeness and health.  Jesus won the war over sin and sickness.  Are we “occupying till He comes”, or are we letting sin and sickness creep back into our lives?  Are we gaining ground for the Kingdom of God, or letting it slip away?  We are here to RULE, not LOSE!  Yeah, I had to slip in something about healing here, didn’t I?  You know me.
Here’s something else to consider: only TWO of the ten servants did something with what the LORD had given them.  One buried it, and the other seven are not even mentioned, meaning THEY ALSO DID NOTHING.  The Lord said in His Word that not everyone who says Lord, Lord will be in His Kingdom.  In another place He said NOT MANY WOULD BE SAVED.  The example above tells us the vast majority of so-called CHRISTIANS will do NOTHING for the Kingdom of God even though they have been granted power from on high to do be able to do so.  THAT should put the fear of God into us!
The LORD wants to give you rule over more than you already have, and I’m always hearing about how people ask God for “MORE”.  But what are you doing with what you presently have?  Are you griping and complaining about how hard it is?  Are you murmuring against the LORD and bawling about how so-and-so has more than you do?  Or are you taking full use of the authority God has already given you and doing exploits for the LORD?  Are you trusting God to help you as you make full use of your natural abilities to enlarge His Kingdom?  There are cities in God’s Kingdom that will need rulers over them, and God isn’t stingy about turning them over to His faithful servants. You trust God, can He trust YOU?