Validation from Finances and Circumstances

I believe God provides for our needs, but being financially secure does not necessarily mean you're doing the right thing. I think sometimes we equate financial success with God's approval in our lives, and that may not necessarily be the case.

Maybe some people have never been through lean times, but we have. And we still go through them. I strongly advocate taking a good look at your priorities when you go through a time like that. You should look at whether or not you are faithful with your giving, making too many purchases that are based on desires not needs, and other things that could mean you are not following God's plan for your life. On the other hand, if you are doing these things and still feel the pinch of hard times, it could mean you're going through a time of God growing your faith.

I think we sometimes equate financial prosperity with God approving of our lives, but I find that hard to believe 100% when I see how much of a struggle the majority of the world goes through when they make a commitment to follow Christ. I'm not sure many of us understand what it takes to follow Christ when it can mean being disowned by your family, losing your job, and giving up your circle of friends. If this person loses all sense of security when they make a decision to follow Christ, does it mean that they are out of God's will?

In the area of ministry, sometimes we get comfortable if we're fully funded. We get comfortable in our ministry that we're doing enough. We get comfortable enough that we forget that it's God who gives us what we need. Our faith can become stagnate. I've seen many ministries who are fully funded, and they don't even give the people the right plan of salvation. I'm not sure how that being fully funded is necessarily a stamp of approval from God.

It still comes down to personal evaluation and finding the answers through prayer and reading of God's Word...and properly interpreting the things or people we usually look to for validation.

I think we all know from the lives of Job and Joseph that we can't always look to our circumstances for validation. Both of these great men went through some really bad experiences, but they were in the will of God. A life of ease, free from conflict, free from pain, and free from persecution is just not realistic. We're going to go through rough times, and we're going to be disciplined by God at times. Only we can know for sure which one it is. Friends may give their input and opinions, but only you know. Job's friends missed the point as well as Joseph's brothers. They missed the bigger picture, but Job, Joseph, and God all knew. So when you're going through a rough time, take it to God. He's going to begin working in your heart and open your eyes to what He wants you to see.