Dear Friend,
I initially had another post scheduled for today, but I needed to get this out.
It's time to update your testimony.
Stay with me.
Now I lllooovvveeee a good story time. Believe me, I do, but I wonder if we've been passing off story time as testimony.
Now hear me out.
Recently, I heard a man of God testify about his 500 credit score but explained that the Lord allowed him to go into a car dealership with no money to purchase a car. At that point, the church went up in praise. He was even dancing.
As I sat listening and watching, I couldn't help but realize how misinformed we've been and how desperate many are for a praise break.
Hear me out.
Underneath the man's "testimony" of a new car was the admittance that:
He had not been a good financial steward,
He had poor credit,
He walked away with a high car note that might set him back
Can you point me to the place where we were supposed to shout? Seriously. I want you to think about this because we've been playing in God's face for wwwaaayyy too long regarding stewardship.
Ultimately, what I heard was NOT a testimony but a story that probably shouldn't have been said publicly. The very nature of testimony suggests that one must pass a test. For instance, God tells you to do something, you do it, and you receive a favorable result. As a result of the positive outcome, you have bragging rights that make you and God look good.
That's testimony.
A real testimony is someone getting up and sharing that God gave them an idea that they immediately moved on and it made them an additional $1k, $5k, or $10k in 30 days.
That's testimony.
A real testimony is someone sharing that God gave them prophetic insight into a sphere of influence, and they used that insight to plan their success strategically, which happened quickly.
That's testimony.
It's about passing the test. You pass the test through obedience.
What many have been passing off as testimony is a backhanded story of how God rewards immaturity.
The math ain't mathing. If you don't know how God feels about poor stewardship then just look at the parable of the talents in Matthew 25.
Ultimately, as believers, we cannot afford to keep spiritually bypassing the problem of poor stewardship. For far too long, we've traded discipline for sowing seeds. Now I'm all for giving, but you cannot course correct bad money habits by sowing seeds. It. Doesn't. Work. That. Way. If it did, we'd all be millionaires.
Are you a millionaire? Neither am I. So that tells us something.
Another thing...
Why is our faith capped at cars and houses? Is that all you want from God?
Take a look at Psalm 2:8 (MSG)
Let me tell you what God said next. He said, “You’re my son, And today is your birthday. What do you want? Name it: Nations as a present? continents as a prize? You can command them all to dance for you, Or throw them out with tomorrow’s trash.”
So you mean to tell me that our Father is offering us nations and continents, and we are running and jumping over mere cars and houses? You mean to tell me that that's all you want? That's all you can imagine?
I'm reminded of when Prophet Nathan rebukes David for killing Uriah. In God's rebuke to David through Nathan, he says,
And I gave thee thy master's house, and thy master's wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things. 2 Samuel 12:8
It's the "such and such things" for me. It's the fact that God says that if David wasn't happy with his portion, then based on his relationship with God, God would have given him such and such.
Do you know how much such and such is? Neither do I but it sounds wwwaaayyy bigger than a car and a house.
Why have we done this? Why have we allowed ourselves to be rocked to sleep by the promise of "God's gonna do it" without realizing that anything He gives requires stewardship? Why have we absolved ourselves from the discipline and responsibility of managing our resources, times, and seasons well?
It's not funny anymore.
Poverty isn't a joke.
A lack of faith isn't cute.
Your lack of stewardship should not be passed off as testimony.
I talked about the topic of stewardship, our need to update our testimonies, and much more in the recent live.
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