by By Javan Kilele
Recently, a brother in a Christian WhatsApp group, whom I will call Daniel, raised a concern. He argued that believers often imagine prayer, fasting and giving to possess economic power and treat them as such. To make his case, he referenced a familiar social studies exercise — identifying the dominant economic activity of a region. His point was simple. Since prayer, fasting and giving do not fit into recognized economic categories like farming or trade, they cannot influence tangible outcomes such as acquiring a car, paying school fees or building a house. According to Daniel, an action that lacks economic value can never contribute to material provision.
The argument sounds reasonable on the surface. It reflects a desire to confront spiritual manipulation, especially where some preachers promise material outcomes through “seed sowing,” prolonged fasting or special prayers. There is genuine need to correct these abuses. Yet Daniel’s conclusion arises from combining categories that Scripture keeps separate.
Economic analysis is valuable in its context, but it cannot function as a theological lens for judging spiritual commands. The Bible operates with its own categories, and a biblically faithful response requires us to begin where the Scriptures begin.
Work as God’s ordinary means of material provision
The Bible presents work as the appointed means through which human beings participate in God’s provision. Genesis shows this clearly. Before sin entered the world, God placed Adam in the garden “to work it and keep it” (Genesis 2:15). Human labor expresses the dignity, creativity and stewardship that God wove into creation.
The apostle Paul reinforces this principle with unmistakable clarity. When addressing idleness in the Thessalonian church, he taught, “If anyone is unwilling to work, he shall not eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10). In Ephesians Paul instructs believers to engage in honest labor so that they may have resources to share with others (Ephesians 4:28). Scripture presents a consistent picture. Work is the normal channel through which God supplies material needs. No spiritual discipline replaces the responsibility to work with diligence and integrity.
Spiritual disciplines as acts of obedience
Although Scripture emphasizes the necessity of work, the same Scripture presents prayer, fasting and giving as essential practices for Christian maturity. Jesus teaches about them directly in the Sermon on the Mount. He says, “When you pray…” (Matthew 6:6), “When you fast…” (Matthew 6:17), and “When you give…” (Matthew 6:3). These are central expressions of devotion to God.
Each practice occupies a distinct theological category. Prayer expresses dependence on the Father. Fasting cultivates humility, repentance and spiritual focus. Giving expresses love, generosity and faith. These disciplines function as instruments of sanctification. They conform believers to the character of Christ. Their value comes from their role in shaping obedient disciples.
When Daniel dismisses these practices because they lack economic classification, he uses the wrong evaluative tool. Spiritual commands do not lose validity when they fail to produce measurable financial output. The Christian life cannot be reduced to productivity metrics. Christ’s authority determines the worth of a command.
The Christian life cannot be reduced to productivity metrics
God’s providential freedom
A second flaw in Daniel’s reasoning appears in the assumption that God acts only through identifiable economic structures. Scripture presents a wider vision of providence. The Psalmist declares that God “opens his hand and satisfies the desire of every living thing” (Psalm 145:16). Moses teaches Israel that God grants the “power to produce wealth” (Deuteronomy 8:18). Divine provision often flows through ordinary work, but it also includes God’s timing, sovereign opportunity, wisdom, relational favor and unexpected intervention.
Prayer, fasting and giving position believers to receive wisdom, clarity, strength, perseverance and opportunities that ultimately bear fruit in real life. The Bible gives numerous examples where God responds to prayer or fasting with concrete outcomes. Hannah prayed and received a son (1 Samuel 1:27). Jehoshaphat sought the Lord through fasting and received military victory (2 Chronicles 20:3–22). The early church prayed for Peter, and God released him from prison (Acts 12:5–11). These events produced unmistakable effects in history.
Correcting abuses without abandoning Biblical truth
Daniel is right to oppose teachings that reduce giving or fasting to a financial transaction. Scripture condemns any attempt to buy spiritual advantage. When Simon tried to purchase spiritual power, Peter rebuked him and told him that the gifts of God cannot be acquired with money (Acts 8:20). Isaiah extends God’s invitation to receive grace “without money and without price” (Isaiah 55:1). The misuse of biblical practices requires correction. However, the presence of abuse does not justify a rejection of the practices themselves.
A biblical response restores their proper place. Believers practice them out of obedience, devotion and love for God. Their purpose is transformation, formation and submission to the will of God.
Keeping each Biblical category in its proper place
Christian teaching becomes distorted when categories are merged. Work belongs in the category of material provision. Prayer, fasting and giving belong in the category of spiritual formation. Divine providence operates across all categories. Confusion arises when one category is used to measure the effectiveness of another. Evaluating prayer by economic criteria is like judging music with a thermometer. The tools are mismatched.
The biblical picture is comprehensive and harmonious. Believers work diligently because work reflects God’s design. They pray, fast and give because obedience reflects God’s holiness. They trust God because His providence governs all things. And they reject manipulative teachings because God’s blessings cannot be purchased.
Conclusion
Daniel’s concern grew out of a desire for clarity, yet his conclusion depends on a framework Scripture never uses. Economic categories cannot judge the validity of spiritual commands. The Bible gives work its essential place, and the Bible also gives prayer, fasting and giving their sacred place. When these categories are kept in proper order, believers embrace responsible labor while walking in faithful obedience to Christ. A balanced Christian life does both. It works diligently. It prays earnestly. It gives generously. It fasts humbly. And it trusts the sovereign God who governs both the visible and the invisible, the economic and the spiritual, the ordinary and the miraculous.
Javan Kilele serves as a youth pastor at Praise Chapel Mombasa. He is married to Joy Javan and they are both actively involved in ministering to young people in Mombasa. He is passionate about faithful Biblical preaching and growing passionate followers of Christ through Bible-centred discipleship.
