Are You Withholding Good from Others - iBelieve Truth: A Devotional for Women - March 03, 2026
“For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does He withhold from those whose walk is blameless”--Psalm 84:11
Many mistakenly believe that God is stingy, withholding good things from them for no reason. But, it couldn’t be further from the truth, because everything we read about God supports that He is a giver, and a giver of good and perfect gifts.
James 1:17 spells it out clearly, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
All we have to do is look around at the earth and the sky He created and see how He is not just a giver, but an extravagant giver, giving us wondrous and majestic gifts in the land, sea, and sky.
Are We Givers, Too?
Unlike God's nature, some of us have had times when others were in a position to give us something we needed or wanted, but they didn’t for various reasons.
Often, people may withhold from others for several reasons, such as believing others are undeserving, fear of giving away something valuable, or fear of being taken advantage of.
Whereas their first thought was to give, fearful, suspicious, and selfish thoughts rushed in to hold them back from being generous.
At times, we may have been in a position to help or give someone something they needed or wanted, and we either did or didn’t provide it.
In our giving and receiving, we want to keep in mind what Proverbs 3:27 urges, “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act.”
Withholding is a spiritual matter more than a resource matter. Giving to others is God’s way, so if we struggle to do so because we believe we might lose out when we provide, it’s more about our heart’s condition than what our hands are holding.
Sinful to Withhold Good from Others
As James 4:17 warns us, “If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.”
Many of us likely don’t associate sin with failing to do good when we have the opportunity. We consider it our privilege to decide what we want to do, and we don't see it as something God doesn’t care about one way or another, or as something God has an opinion on.
But it’s not true, because God has made it clear that it does carry the weight of sin when we withhold good from others. Even if we try to justify it away with a million reasons: “why not,” He sees the truth of it in our hearts.
Giving Even When It’s Hard
God’s example of giving includes His giving of His one and only Son as a sacrifice for our sins.
Yet, God didn’t hold back in giving us the ultimate gift, because God is a giver. As John 3:16 explains, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
In doing so, 1 John 2:2 describes how, “He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.”
Zechariah 12:10 describes the effects of God’s sacrifice, “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on Me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for Him as one grieves for a firstborn son.”
To be a follower of God involves being a giver, not just when it’s convenient or when we don’t care about giving, but even when it’s a sacrifice. When we do, we are reflecting our Heavenly Father who doesn’t withhold or hold back His gifts to us.
Let’s Pray:
Dear Father, Thank you for Your gift of Jesus, who through His sacrifice, gives us the gift of eternal life. Help us today and every day to reflect Your heart, giving even when it’s a sacrifice. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/coffeekai
Lynette Kittle is married with four daughters. She enjoys writing about faith, marriage, parenting, relationships, and life. Her writing has been published by Focus on the Family, Decision, Today’s Christian Woman, kirkcameron.com, Ungrind.org, StartMarriageRight.com, and more. She has a M.A. in Communication from Regent University and serves as associate producer for Soul Check TV.
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