Are you writing, preaching, painting, inventing, or healing to do the will of God? Or is it for your own glory? When we work for God, it is in producing and releasing the content under God’s guidance that our work is complete, and our outcome achieved. When we work for our own glory, we obsess over the number of clicks, the likes or comments and stress over income that is being generated (or not generated).
There is a great release of anxiety when we stop producing and working for ourselves but start doing so for God. What does it matter how many people like or watch our videos, if the God of the universe is pleased with what we have done? Who cares what other humans think of our work, when we have diligently done what God required of us? For a time yet, this is Satan’s world, and we know that those of this world are largely not going to receive messages from God anyway, so He might be getting us to release a testimony or author a poem for that one person who He knows desperately needs the message at that time. For as Isaiah 55 tells us:
8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Jesus was the flawless example of this principle of obedience. His life was that of a living sacrifice to the Father, and he gave his life to fulfil his obligations. He also states at various points that what he says are not his own thoughts, but he is a vessel through which the Father speaks without the standard human cocktail of fear, anxiety and ambition getting in the way. He summarizes this attitude as follows:
John 7
16 Jesus answered them and said, “My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. 17 If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority. 18 He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.
The Scriptures indicate that our pursuits will be successful if they are aligned with God’s will, for then His whole power will be behind us. It is when we have turned from Satan but are still trying to pursue our own glory that we are most vulnerable to constant, debilitating failure. Satan can give worldly riches, fame, and glory to those that are obedient to Him, yet at the price of betraying everything of lasting value, including one’s soul (Luke 4:5–7). However, God will also bring us success, so long as we work for Him and are pursuing goals aligned to His revealed purpose for our lives. This is demonstrated metaphorically in Luke 5 where Peter, James, and John catch a large haul only once they follow Jesus’ instructions as to where to fish:
Luke 5
5 But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” 6 And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. 7 So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”
This refers to the winning of souls into God’s kingdom. However, our Heavenly Father knows that we need material things to continue to live to be able to win souls through whichever avenue we are called. The promise is that if we are obedient to God in doing His will, which is outlined in the Gospels, but specific for each of us, then our pursuits will flourish.
In some areas it is not Satan or his vile empire of lies, witchcraft and criminality that is holding us back from success, but our own fear of poverty, rejection, or failure. All of this comes from a lack of faith, for surely the God of the universe can bring success into our lives, and as Jesus tells us, He knows exactly what we need and will provide for us if we first seek the kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 6:31–34). Whenever we feel crippled by fear and anxiety, particularly regarding poverty and rejection, it is a strong sign that we are not thinking about what we are doing from the perspective of dutifully performing God’s will but are focussing on personal glory.
As I was writing this I started to think of Jeremiah. He didn’t feel that he was up to the task of prophesying against the evil that surrounded Him for he was very young; however, the Lord told him not to worry because He would put words in Jeremiah’ mouth to speak. In the same opening chapter, God then says something very striking to Jeremiah, which is true of all of us working for God to expand His kingdom on earth:
Jeremiah 1
17 “Therefore prepare yourself and arise,
And speak to them all that I command you.
Do not be dismayed before their faces,
Lest I dismay you before them.
19 They will fight against you,
But they shall not prevail against you.
For I am with you,” says the Lord, “to deliver you.”
We are to take comfort in knowing that the Lord is fighting for us, when we are working, sleeping, and when it feels that all is lost. When this begins to sink deeply into our minds, such thoughts become a powerful antidote to fear and anxiety and grant us the psychological freedom required to perform our divinely ordained purpose.
Affirmations
I work and create to glorify God, not myself.
If I do God’s will, I will succeed in my endeavors, but if I go my own way my efforts will be fruitless.
I will speak and do everything God commands of me regardless of my fears of how people will react.
God will always provide for my material needs so long as I am faithful in my work for His kingdom.
I will not hide the truths that God reveals to me through His Word or whispers into my ears but will be a light in the darkness.
God knows what I need and will provide my material needs so long as I first seek the kingdom.
I do not feel anxiety about results but focus on doing my job for God. If He wants my work to be successful, it will be.
I use my spiritual gifts to bring more souls into God’s kingdom and to edify, support and encourage those already within it.
I will never stop speaking truth, following Jesus’ commands, or exposing evil due to a fear of poverty or criticism.
When I fail in acting bravely for the kingdom of God, I repent my sins and get back to work.
I commit myself as a living sacrifice to God knowing He will guide my path, protect me from foes, and attend to my earthly needs.
I do not fear persecution for performing the Lord’s will, for blessed are those who are persecuted for His sake.
I am unconcerned with what others think of me but concern myself with what God wants of me.
It is irrelevant if unbelievers think I am foolish, for the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing.
God knows things I don’t, so I follow His directions even when the outcome or path to victory is unclear.
My past failures are irrelevant because God chooses the weak and foolish to perform His will.
My faith rests on God’s power and not human abilities and wisdom, so I am confident of success in whatever he gets me to do for the kingdom.
I may plant a seed, another may water it, but it is God who makes it grow.
Jesus is the foundation upon which I conduct all my work. Anything I build on another foundation will collapse.
I am a servant of God, entrusted with His secret things, to expand His kingdom on earth.
I compete in games where the prize is eternal, and God is the judge.