Gashugi Yves 
Not Everything God Benefits From Is His Will
In 2019, when I was a university student, I dedicated nearly three-quarters of my spare time outside of classes to serving God. I spent that time in personal prayer, group prayer, Bible reading, and even trying to read various spiritual books.
That same year, I found an opportunity to earn money in a way that was manageable alongside my studies and ministry work. As quickly as a flash of light, I became eager to start making money, especially because I convinced myself that God wouldn’t be against it since part of the money would support His work in broader ways.
However, what I thought was not what God had in mind. One day during prayer, I felt a strong internal conviction that said, “Do not take that job.” I rejected that idea, believing it didn’t come from God, because I had a seemingly logical justification: “The money I’ll earn will also benefit God’s work.” Yet, my conscience kept telling me, “Not everything that benefits God is necessarily His will.” Despite that warning, I hardened my heart and continued with my plans.
So what happened?
That night, while I was asleep, I had a dream. In the dream, I was holding a Bible and looked like I had just finished praying. I arrived at a place filled with flowing water, and within the water were many coins. I started collecting the coins, but soon realized I wasn’t gathering them as well as I had hoped. Still in the dream, I put the Bible down and went to get a pickaxe to dig out the coins more efficiently. As I was digging, I heard a voice ask: “Are you setting aside the Holy Scriptures because of your greed for money?”
Let the reader take caution: hearing that voice wasn’t to say that earning money is inherently bad or sinful. Rather, God sees His calling in a person, and in that season of my life, He saw that it was not the right time for me to work for money. Instead, it was a time for studying, serving, and teaching His Word. I had everything I needed to live. The dream confirmed what I had been told before: “Not everything that benefits God is His will.”
Let’s draw from the Bible:
When God declared that He would punish the Amalekites (1 Samuel 15:2-3), He told Saul to destroy all the men, women, children, and livestock (1 Samuel 15:8-9). But Saul, after attacking the Amalekites, did as he was told—except he spared the best sheep and oxen, thinking he would offer them to God as sacrifices (1 Samuel 15:15).
Even though Saul believed that sparing the animals would benefit God, because they would be sacrificed to Him, God was not pleased (1 Samuel 15:22-23). Just because something seems beneficial to God does not mean it is His will or that He takes pleasure in it.
Conclusion and Lesson:
Nowadays, people are so obsessed with making money that even giving someone directions to a certain pastor’s house comes at a price. Satan has trapped some pastors in this snare. Many are preoccupied with building huge, impressive churches, almost like the Tower of Babel, and the wealth used to build them often comes through manipulation and deception of their congregations.
Some have silenced their conscience, thinking that the important thing is that the work of God gets done. But to God, it is not just about whether His work is accomplished, it is also about how and through which means it is done. If what was built by the ministry did not come through God’s will, it doesn’t mean God won’t use it, but it will not bring blessing to the person who contributed it outside of God’s will.
Let us pray: “Lord, help us to serve within Your will, and protect us from serving in a way that only shows we love Your work more than we love You. Amen.”
