Killing Idols: When favour doesn’t feel like favour. Salt + Light Weekly Episode 62, with an empty stone pedestal and broken gold chain.

When Favour Doesn’t Feel Like Favour: Idols in Business

November 08, 2026•4 min read

What happened to favour?

Last episode, I shared what God’s been teaching me about favour. Then something happened in our business, and I got to put it to the test. Pressure. Anxiety. Uncertainty. I found myself asking, ‘Right, God. What happened to favour?’

It’s easy to talk about favour when doors are opening. But what do we do when our circumstances look nothing like the word God gave us? I’m sharing this while I’m still walking through it. There isn’t a neat ending yet.

Look at what’s happening inside

First, I reached out for prayer and support. I needed people around me who could stand with me while I worked through what was happening. Then I had to stop and take stock.

There were practical problems, conversations and decisions to work through. But my reaction needed attention too. Fear had been triggered, and I needed to understand why. I began asking God, ‘Where did I learn this? What am I believing? Why does this feel so threatening?’

When stewardship becomes a source of identity

As I prayed, I realised there was part of the business I had become more attached to than I understood. Some of my identity and security had become wrapped up in it. When it was threatened, that attachment came to the surface.

I sensed God asking whether it might be an idol. Something I was meant to steward had become something I depended on to tell me I was okay. I needed to surrender its place in my heart.

The business still needed my attention. The responsibilities remained. But it could no longer be my master, tell me who I was or determine whether I had peace.

Who has the final authority?

Jesus says in Matthew 6:24 that we cannot serve both God and money. That can come much closer to home than an obsession with getting rich. We can organise our inner world around cash flow: peace when the account is full, panic when it is low.

There are real responsibilities behind those feelings. People to pay. Commitments to honour. I know that. But if my bank balance gets to tell me who I am, I’ve given it too much authority.

Three questions for the next step

First, pay attention to your reaction. Feeling anxious doesn’t automatically mean you have an idol. But when something shakes you deeply, get curious with God. What am I afraid of losing? What have I made this mean about me?

Second, recognise the lie and ask for the truth. For me, that involved prayer, forgiveness and surrender. I needed to put my identity back with God and put the business back in His hands.

Third, ask for the next instruction. In 1 Samuel 17, David faced Goliath in the name of the Lord. The giant did not have final authority. We can ask, ‘God, what are You saying? What’s the strategy? What do I do next?’

I practise this with my to-do list on Monday mornings. I still have work and responsibilities, but I get to approach them as a son and a steward, listening to my Father.

Difficulty doesn’t mean favour has disappeared

This week, taking the next step also looked like going for a walk, putting worship on and spending time in God’s presence. I asked for Scripture to stand on and help to learn what He was showing me.

I’m still in that process. But I’m beginning to see that God can be with me in the pressure, showing me what needs to change in my heart. If you’re walking through something similar, reach out. I’d love to hear from you and pray with you.

Reflection and prayer

Has something you’re meant to steward become something you depend on for your identity or security?

Father, show me what’s taken Your place in my heart. I surrender it to You. Give me wisdom, peace and courage for the next step. In Jesus’ name. Amen.