During my national youth service that year, I served as the state president of the corpers fellowship. I received a call from someone who wanted to support the fellowship. He wanted to be anonymous, so he sent his driver to come hand over an envelope to me. It was a huge donation, such as we had never received before.
Then, the temptation began; “Don’t remit it to the fellowship purse, or at least, report half of it,” the thoughts came. I had only ten naira on me that day. It was a major test. My decision was made; I would not forfeit my future in God because of this. I turned in the whole cash to the fellowship purse. I passed the test!
Friend, you need to pursue integrity. Integrity is at the heart of kingdom leadership and relevance. Before God, your heart is more important than your acts (1 Samuel 16:7). God will always test you before He trusts you. When you fail divine test, you disqualify yourself from a future of greatness with God. God tested Abraham, He demanded Isaac (Genesis 22:1-9).
God tested Job, He checked if he was following Him for the blessings or for love (Job 1:8-12). God tested Joseph, He allowed Potiphar’s wife to make advances towards him (Genesis 39:7-9). God will test you before He trusts you. Are you failing the test of God? What God plans to give you tomorrow, the devil wants to offer you today. The question is, will you take from the devil’s hands today what God plans to give you tomorrow?
When you look at the temptations of Jesus in Luke 4, the three things the devil tempted him with were already part of his destiny in God (Luke 4:1-13). He only needed to decide to either take it from the devil or wait on God. What about you? Will you wait on God, or will you allow the devil’s shortcut to cut you short? True power and prosperity with God are for those who have passed the integrity test. Like Apostle Paul, we must know how to abase and how to abound (Philippians 4:12).
You cannot be a candidate for abundance if you have not learnt to overcome the pressure of lack. Being in want is not a sin. It is only a passing phase of life that allows God to test our hearts and also prepares us for what God is bringing. Passing divine tests is what will qualify you for divine promotion (Genesis 22:1-18). It would come in your career and business; you would be tempted to change your standards and practices.
Don’t think you are immune to temptations in relationships and marriage, whether you are single or married. Prepare yourself and leverage God’s grace to pass the test. Remember that when your next level in God is just around the corner, you will face your greatest test. This is why you need to pursue integrity. (Proverbs 2:11, 11:3).
‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria