The Test of Success

“So it shall be, when the Lord your God brings you into the land of which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you large and beautiful cities which you did not build, 11 houses full of all good things, which you did not fill, hewn-out wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant—when you have eaten and are full— 12 then beware, lest you forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. (Deuteronomy 6:10-12)

Most of us would expect the LORD to say, “Be thankful. Lift up your hands in praise,” but that’s not what He says. Instead, he says, “Beware, Be careful!”

When any man or woman experiences the blessing of God, one of two things will happen:

The first is that the blessing of God can intensify our gratitude and increase our love for the Lord. For example, when the LORD entered Peter’s boat and Peter obeyed the prophetic instruction given to him by the Lord. His empty boat was filled with fish overflowing. This made Peter bow in reverence before the Lord. From that day onwards, Peter followed the Lord.

The second is the blessings of the Lord could make a person forget the Lord if one is not careful.

When you move into that new home, when you graduate with that degree, when your salary moves from five figures to six figures, there is a subtle test that everyone faces. It is called the test of success.

Now, please understand that every good gift is from the Father of lights. (James 1:17) These good gifts are to be welcomed and celebrated, but we need to be careful because every blessing of God carries within it the subtle test of success.

After you get success, will you still attribute the success to the Lord, or will you say it was your wisdom, your talent, your work that did it? I have heard many say, “My strength and my power have produced this wealth.” (Deuteronomy 8:17)

Will you forget to give glory to the Lord by sharing your testimony? Will you stop coming to the house of God now that you are blessed? Will you stop praying now that you are blessed with that life partner, that house, the baby?

The time of greatest spiritual danger may not be when a person is sick, but when a person is well, they are more likely to forget the Lord.

In Luke 17, we read about the ten lepers who came to Jesus to be healed. Jesus gave them a prophetic instruction to go and show it to the priests. As they obeyed the prophetic instruction and went on their way, they were healed. Seeing himself healed, one of the lepers turned towards Jesus to thank Him.

Notice the response of our Lord: Then Jesus asked, Were not [all] ten cleansed? Where are the nine? (Luke 17:17)

The time of your greatest testing may not be when you lose a job but when you find one. Will you celebrate your success; will you continue to ascribe your success to the Lord. If you will, then you will go to another level of blessing.

Father, cause me to be faithful to You until the end. In Jesus’ name. Amen.