Navigating Your Faith When God Doesn’t Give You What You Want! (The Whole Counsel of God)

You’ve heard of the “American Santa Claus God,” haven’t you? Just make a wish-list, pray real hard, be a good boy or girl, give plenty of money to the church and God will give you ANYTHING you want. You know what I’m talking about. It’s that brand new car…that brand new home …that band new husband (or wife)…that 6 figure salary…that perfect ministry…or that instant healing you’re believing God for. Here’s what some people do when God doesn’t give them what they want:

1. Some get frustrated with God. Like spoiled children, they begin to plead (even DEMAND) that God come through for them. They remind Him of scriptures like Matt. 21:21-22 or John 16:23-24…as if His memory isn’t as good as theirs!

2. Some go to every Faith Conference in the country. They read Luke 17:5-6 and think their problem is a lack of faith. They ask God to “increase their faith” so they can get what they want!

3. Some trade in their God for a new one! They read half of Prov. 23:7 and begin to follow a pagan philosophy that tells them to just think real hard about getting rich and they’ll attract more money to themselves than they know what to do with.

What, then, is the “Whole Counsel of God?” First of all, it does NOT mean wrenching a passage of scripture out of context and claiming it as God’s promise for you.What it really means is STUDYING ALL of scripture to discover what God has to say about what you’re interested in. It means synthesizing what you’ve learned into principles that transcend culture and time and applying it to the issue you’re struggling with. If people really did this, here is what they would discover:

1. Matt. 21:21-22 and John 16:23-24 have to be balanced with James 4:3 “You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.”

2. Luke 17:5-6 must be read in the context of what the disciples were asking. They didn’t want more faith to get more stuff. They needed more faith to forgive people who had offended them!

3. If Prov. 23:7 is read in its context, they would discover it was speaking about the thoughts of a stingy person! And as for thinking about money, money, money, they should read Prov. 23:4-5 “Do not weary yourself to gain wealth, cease from your consideration of it. When you set your eyes on it, it is gone. For wealth certainly makes itself wings like an eagle that flies toward the heavens.”

So, Whatcha Gonna Do When God says “No!”?

1. First of all, know that God is teaching you what’s best for you (Is. 48:17 NIV Bible).

2. If God won’t make you rich…maybe you should read Prov. 30:8-9 and ask God for only that which He knows you can handle.

3. If God isn’t bringing you another husband or wife…maybe you should read 1 Cor. 7:32-35. Also read Prov. 21:9. You wouldn’t want another mate like the one you divorced, would you?

4. Pastor, if God doesn’t give you a mega-church to lead…could it be that bigger isn’t better? Success is being faithful over what God places in your hands…much or little (Matt. 25:15-29).

5. If your course is finished and God doesn’t heal you …a promotion to heaven is better than what happened to King Hezekiah after God healed him (2 Kings 20:1-7; 2 Chron. 32:24—33:1-6).

It’s all about trust, my friend. God is your heavenly Father and wants to give you good things. If your priorities are right, He’ll give you what you NEED (Matt. 6:33). If not…then you really didn’t need it at all!

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