Things They Don't Tell You When You Follow God Closely — Your Standards Will Cost You Opportunities

This is post 3 in Things They Don't Tell You When You Follow God Closely, a weekly Sunday series from Alpha VI Battalion.

They Did Not Tell You Standards Have a Price Tag

Following God closely raises your standards. That is supposed to be a good thing and it is. But nobody tells you that higher standards close doors that used to be open.

The business deal that requires you to look the other way on something. The relationship that works as long as you do not bring your faith into it. The opportunity that is real and lucrative and available right now if you are willing to compromise on something you told God you would not compromise on anymore.

When you were not following God closely that compromise was easy to rationalize. Now it is not. And the opportunity sits there looking like a test and feeling like a loss and you are not always sure which one it is.

The Door God Closes Is Not the Door He Had For You

Every door that closes because of your standards is a door that was going to cost you more than it gave you. You may not be able to see that from where you are standing. God can.

The deal that fell apart because you would not shade the truth was not the deal. The relationship that ended because your faith was non-negotiable was not the relationship. The job you did not get because Sunday mornings are not available was not the job.

This requires a level of trust that is genuinely difficult to maintain when rent is due and the compromise is sitting right there looking reasonable. That difficulty is the point. Faith that costs nothing proves nothing.

Integrity in the Dark Produces Credibility in the Light

The decisions you make when nobody is watching and the cost is real are the ones that build the foundation of everything God is constructing in your life. You cannot know which specific decision is load bearing until later. But they all are.

The veteran who kept their integrity under pressure in uniform carries a different kind of authority when they speak about leadership than the one who compromised when it was convenient. The same principle applies in faith. The credibility you build by holding your standards when it costs you something becomes the foundation of the influence God trusts you with when the real opportunity comes.

The Right Opportunities Require the Standards You Are Building

The doors God has ahead of you require the person you are becoming by holding the standards you are holding right now. They are not available to the version of you that would compromise to get in. They are available to the version of you being built by not compromising.

That is the part nobody tells you. The standard is not the obstacle to the opportunity. The standard is the prerequisite for it.

Hold it, Light Bringer.

Continue Reading in This Series

Previous: The People Who Were There Won't All Stay

Next: The Waiting Is Part of the Assignment

Wear What You Believe

Holding your standards when it costs you something is a warrior posture. The Kingdom Soldier Hoodie was built for people who stand firm. Or carry it daily with the Blessed Peacemakers Tee. Browse the full Spiritual and Inspirational Collection.

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