The Spiritual Test of Success
Does success make you forget the God who made it possible? In this episode, discover why abundance is often a greater test of faith than adversity, and how intentional humility keeps your heart anchored to God on the mountaintop.
Does success make you forget the God who made it possible? In this episode, discover why abundance is often a greater test of faith than adversity, and how intentional humility keeps your heart anchored to God on the mountaintop.
Have you ever noticed that you pray the hardest when life is falling apart, but barely whisper a prayer when everything is going well?
We cry out to God in the valleys, during health scares, financial crises, and broken relationships. But when the promotion lands, the bank account is full, and life is comfortable, we quietly coast. Success has a subtle way of inflating our pride and leading us to believe we achieved everything on our own. Over time, we stop leaning on God as heavily, and the dangerous illusion of self-reliance takes root.
In this episode, we explore the story of Stanley Tam, an Ohio businessman whose small plastics company grew into a thriving national enterprise. As success increased, he wrestled with a question most successful people quietly face: did I achieve this on my own, or did God entrust it to me? His answer led to a stunning decision that challenged everything the business world values.
Through his story and the warning of Deuteronomy 8:17–18, you'll see that the greatest spiritual test often isn't how you handle adversity, it's what comes to the surface when you're enjoying abundance. God doesn't oppose your success. He simply asks you to remember where it came from.
BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU'LL DISCOVER:
- Why success can quietly breed spiritual forgetfulness and a dangerous sense of self-reliance
- How Deuteronomy 8:17–18 was specifically written to prepare God's people for the test of abundance
- A simple daily practice to stay humble and grateful in the good seasons, not just the hard ones
The mountaintop is where we are most likely to forget the God who carried us up the hill. Stay anchored in gratitude, and never let abundance make you forget the One who provided it.
Share This Episode:
https://www.dailydevotionsforbusylives.com/196
Need Prayer? Leave me a voicemail:
https://www.dailydevotionsforbusylives.com/voicemail
Want to keep these devotions coming? Please consider supporting this podcast.
https://www.dailydevotionsforbusylives.com/support/
Connect with Bart
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/dailydevotionsforbusylives
Website: https://www.dailydevotionsforbusylives.com
Feeling spiritually drained? Start here. Download your free copy of my eBook Making Time for Jesus here.
Speak:
DAZI When businessman Stanley Tam started a small
Speak:
plastics company in Ohio, he never imagined it would grow
Speak:
into a thriving national business. Like many
Speak:
entrepreneurs, he poured long hours and hard work into
Speak:
building the company from the ground up. Over time, the
Speak:
business began to prosper. Sales grew, the company expanded, and
Speak:
the success he had hoped for was finally becoming a reality.
Speak:
people quietly face: Was this success something he had
Speak:
achieved through his own effort and Or was it something God had
Speak:
entrusted to him? The question eventually led him to make a
Speak:
decision that stunned many people around him.
Speak:
Welcome to Daily Devotions for Busy Lives. I'm Bart Leger and
Speak:
today we're talking about something most of us pray for,
Speak:
but we rarely prepare for: success. And our question is:
Speak:
How do we enjoy abundance when it comes without forgetting God?
Speak:
Oh, we pray desperately when we're in trouble or broke or
Speak:
sick or are facing a crisis, don't we? But what happens when
Speak:
the promotion comes, the bank account is full, and life's
Speak:
comfortable?
Speak:
Often, the greatest test of our faith isn't how we respond to
Speak:
adversity. What's in our heart comes to the surface when we're
Speak:
enjoying abundance.
Speak:
Staying true to God on the mountaintop requires intentional
Speak:
humility in the bad times as well as the good.
Speak:
Listen to what God says in Deuteronomy 8: 17-18.
Speak:
He did all this so you would never say to yourself: "I have
Speak:
achieved this wealth with my own strength and energy. He is the
Speak:
one who gives you the power to be successful."
Speak:
God spoke those words to the Israelites right before they
Speak:
were about to enter the Promised Land.
Speak:
For forty years, they had wandered in the wilderness
Speak:
completely depending on God for every meal, for every drink of
Speak:
water, and for everybody. for every step forward, they knew
Speak:
they needed Him because they had nothing else. But God knew
Speak:
something about human nature. He knew that once they entered a
Speak:
land flowing with milk and honey, and once the harvest came in,
Speak:
the houses were built, and the flocks multiplied, they would be
Speak:
tempted to forget where it all came from. They would look at
Speak:
their own barns and think: "I did this. It was my hard work,
Speak:
my intelligence, my strength." And that is exactly the danger
Speak:
of success.
Speak:
that it subtly convinces us we don't need God anymore. When
Speak:
everything is going well, we stop praying desperately. We
Speak:
stop leaning on Him as heavily, and we begin to believe the
Speak:
dangerous lie that we are the architects of our own blessing.
Speak:
Think about your own life for a moment. When was the last time
Speak:
you prayed the most fervently? We're going to believe the most
Speak:
fervently. We're going to believe the most fervently.
Speak:
We're going to believe the most fervently. We're going to
Speak:
believe the most fervently. But what happens when we get that
Speak:
promotion? How about when the bank account is flush? When
Speak:
life's hitting on all cylinders, we often coast spiritually.
Speak:
That's the test of success. And it's a test many believers fail
Speak:
without even realizing it. Deuteronomy 8 says, "Remember
Speak:
the Lord your God." We're to remember that He's the one who
Speak:
gave you the strength to work. He's the one who opened the door.
Speak:
He's the one who gave you the mind and the health and the
Speak:
opportunities and the relationships that led you to
Speak:
where you are. Success isn't self-made. It's God-given. And
Speak:
there's nothing wrong with success. It's how we handle that
Speak:
success that matters. Stanley Tam went through that test.
Speak:
After much prayer and reflection, he made an unusual choice. In
Speak:
1955, he legally transferred ownership of his successful
Speak:
plastics company to a foundation dedicated to Christian ministry.
Speak:
From that point forward, he saw himself not as the owner of the
Speak:
business, but as a steward managing something that
Speak:
ultimately belonged to God. Tam later explained that success can
Speak:
quietly tempt people to believe they achieved everything on
Speak:
their own. And by giving the company away, he wanted to
Speak:
remind himself of a truth many successful people forget. That
Speak:
every opportunity and ability and every blessing ultimately
Speak:
comes from God. You don't have to give away your business to
Speak:
pass the test of success if you have one.
Speak:
The antidote is intentional humility. Regularly
Speak:
acknowledging that everything you have is a gift from God's
Speak:
From God's hand. Here's today's challenge. Take a few minutes
Speak:
today and make a list of three areas where life is going well
Speak:
right now. Take a few minutes later. You're looking for
Speak:
yourself, if you want to ask for your questions. Maybe it's your
Speak:
career, your health, your family, or your finances. For each one
Speak:
of those, pause and thank God specifically. Say out loud,
Speak:
"Lord, this did not come from my own strength. You were the one
Speak:
who gave me the power to succeed. I remember you today." And let
Speak:
that become a regular practice, especially in the good seasons.
Speak:
Because the mountaintop is where we're most likely to forget the
Speak:
God who carried us up the hill.
Speak:
success can make us spiritually forgetful. When life is good,
Speak:
we're tempted to believe we did it all on our own. Forgive us of
Speak:
our pride. Remind us today that every good gift comes from you.
Speak:
Help us to stay humble and grateful and to be completely
Speak:
dependent on you, not just in the valleys, but especially on
Speak:
the mountaintops. In Jesus' name, Amen. If this episode encouraged
Speak:
you, would you share it with a friend who might be navigating a
Speak:
season of success and needs this reminder? Just send them the
Speak:
link from the show notes. They may need to hear that the
Speak:
greatest test of faith isn't always adversity. Sometimes it's
Speak:
abundance. Thanks for joining me on Daily Devotions for Busy
Speak:
Lives. Remember, God is the one who gives you the power to be
Speak:
successful. Don't let abundance make you forget the one who
Speak:
provided it. Come back next time for more encouragement to help
Speak:
you live grounded in God's truth. Until then, God bless, and have
Speak:
a great day.
