Why Does God Allow Financial Difficulties in Christians (Watchman Nee)

God promises to take care of our needs, yet why does He allow believers to experience financial loss or difficulties? Watchman Nee, the late Chinese church leader and Christian leader, addressed this question in his book, “God’s Plan and the Overcomers”.

This is due either to their inability to continue on with whatever improper occupations they had engaged in before or to some spiritual reasons for which God is dealing with them specifically. God sometimes takes our wealth away so as to induce us to seek after Christ that He might have the pre-eminence in all things. It is not impossible for the rich to enter the kingdom of God, it is just difficult for them to do so. Not that they cannot serve the Lord, only that they find it difficult to serve the Lord. “Lay though thy treasure in the dust… and the Almighty will be thy treasure” (Job 22:24,25). God dealt with the children of Israel in the wilderness by depriving them of earthly supplies of food and clothing so that they might recognise the abundance of God. As the supplies on earth ceased, the supplies from heave came. Material difficulties drive us to seek after the Lord, to learn the lesson of faith, and to know Christ as the first in all things. Whenever difficulty arrives let us believe that it comes from God, and rejoice. Yet never expect difficulty, because Satan is well able to add such to us.

How to Have Your Prayers Answered (Watchman Nee)

Many Christians feel that their prayers are being ignored by God. Watchman Nee, the late Chinese church leader and Christian leader, addressed this question of how one can have one’s prayers answered in his book, “God’s Plan and the Overcomers”.

Prayers will be answered if it aims at letting Christ have the first place in all things. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and God will add to us all our needs (Adding is not giving. The first means adding to what is already there; the second means giving what is not there.) Asking in the name of the Lord is asking the Father for the Lord so that the Lord himself might receive it. According to the principle they who mind the flesh will have nothing for which to pray. How we need to let the cross cut off our flesh that we might be the Lord’s intercessors praying out the Lord’s will. We should not pray for our selfish purposes. Only those who permit Christ to have the pre-eminence in all things can enter the Holiest of all. May we transform the time of praying for our needs into a time of praying for God’s affairs. God will then hear the prayer we have uttered – that is, prayer for the things of God; but He will also here the prayer we have not uttered – that is, prayer for our own affairs. If we should ask first that the Lord might receive His, He would cause us to receive ours too. One of the sweet experiences in the life of a Christian is to have prayer continually answered. Remember, though, that the reason for God answering our prayer is to allow Christ to occupy first place in all things.

How to Have a Victorious Christian Life (Watchman Nee)

How can Christians live a victorious life? Watchman Nee, the late Chinese church leader and Christian leader, addressed this question in his book, “God’s Plan and the Overcomers”.

Our victory is based on letting Christ have the pre-eminence in all things – in allowing Him to be the Lord of all to our lives. The Old Testament tells us how the chosen people of God lived on earth. At first the tabernacles served as the centre of the twelve tribes; later it was the temple which became their center. The center of the temple was the ark. The tabernacles, the temple and the ark are all types of Christ. As long as the children of Israel maintained their proper relationship with the tabernacles or the temple they were victorious, and no nation could overcome then. Even though their enemies learned how to fight while they themselves were not familiar with fighting, the children of Israel overcame all their enemies nonetheless. But the moment they had problems with the tabernacles or the temple, they were taken into captivity. Nothing else – whether they had powerful kings or great wisdom in themselves – mattered at all; the only concern which mattered was whether or not they had offended the ark of the tabernacle or temple. If the Lord had the pre-eminence, then theirs was the victory of Christ, we also have the victory. But whenever the hair of separation is shorn, the victory is gone (cf. Judges 6:17). Except we give Christ the highest place we are not able to overcome. Unless Christ has pre-eminence in our heart we cannot overcome.