I Don’t Want to Build What He Would Tear Down
I recently had a moment of clarity that has changed the way I approach everything I build—my business, my work, even my thoughts and plans. It started with a song by Kory Miller, Low, that captured something I’ve been wrestling with for a long time:
I don’t wanna profit off Your presence
I don’t wanna build what You’d tear down
I don’t wanna bring a half surrender
I just wanna be the first to bow
The words hit me hard because I can finally see why God had to lead me out of corporate life. I was built to build. And I did. But if I had stayed, I realize now that I could have kept building things that would have broken His heart—campaigns and projects that would have profited me but not honored Him.
I think back to my last corporate role: I was creating campaigns for an alternative to Botox, an industry built on feeding people’s insecurities with expensive “quick fixes.” It was profitable, yes—but in hindsight, it was empty, transactional, and far from life-giving. It didn’t create freedom; it fed fear, dependence, and dissatisfaction.
This revelation keeps bringing me back to a single, critical question: What is my motive? Is this for You, or is it for me? Does this align with Your heart and delight You?
God calls us to create environments where His will can flourish. That’s impossible if the work we do hurts His heart, keeps people in bondage, or separates them from Him.
Here’s a practical check I’ve started using:
Does this feel like life?
Does it create freedom where the Spirit of the Lord is present? (2 Corinthians 3:17)
Does the work, service, product, or thought lead to life, hope, and freedom—or to fear, pressure, or bondage?
If the answer is “no,” it’s time to pause, reflect, and ask God for wisdom.
Scripture offers guidance for this reflection:
“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men” (Colossians 3:23).
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2).
“Let all that you do be done in love” (1 Corinthians 16:14).
These verses aren’t just instructions—they are a compass. They remind me that building with God isn’t about the size of the project or the profit margin. It’s about co-creating environments where His will is done, where freedom is offered, and where hearts are drawn closer to Him.
So today, I choose again: I don’t want to profit off His presence. I don’t want to build what He would tear down. I don’t want to offer a half-hearted surrender. I just want to be the first to bow.
Because true building—creation in alignment with His heart—is life-giving. It brings joy, freedom, and eternal significance. And that’s the only kind of building I want to do.
