The Walk of Prayer

Human beings are communicating constantly!  We communicate with parents, siblings, friends, neighbors, teachers, even random strangers, etc.  Except when we are on our phones, we are constantly communicating with others in relationship.  We communicate by asking lots of questions . . . How are you doing? What are you doing this weekend?  We communicate lots of emotions . . . uugggh, happiness, sadness, excitement, frustration, anger, confusion, disappointment.  Every once in a while we will even communicate something thoughtful like . . . I love you.  I miss you.  Great job!  I’m sorry.  Jesus’ whole life revolved around relationship.  There is one particular relationship that Jesus made a priority of communicating with.  Who did Jesus regularly take time to communicate with?

READ:  Luke 5:16; Mark 1:35

Living life in the same way as Jesus did requires communicating with GOD through PRAYER!  The gospels record 33 different times when Jesus communicates with God through prayer.  Christ began His ministry in prayer (Lk. 3:21) and His life ended in prayer (Mk. 15:34-39).  Jesus prayed all night before calling the 12 disciples (Lk. 6:12).  After intense moments or days of ministry Jesus prayed (Mt. 14:23).  The night before Jesus went to the cross He prayed (Mt. 26:36; Mk. 14:23; Lk. 21:41-44).  Prayer was Jesus’ way of renewing His energy and determining His next step.  The more demanding Jesus’ life became, the more He prayed.  Prayer was central to who Jesus was and central to His being fully human.

TRANSTION:  Jesus Himself prayed frequently and He told His disciples the importance of praying as well.  In Matthew 21:22 Jesus said, “whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”  In Matthew 7:7-11 He said, “ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened to you”.  Jesus’ disciples knew that communicating with God was important to Jesus, that’s why they did not ask Jesus to teach them how to do miracles or how to preach, but instead they asked Jesus to teach them to pray.  How did Jesus instruct us to pray?

READ:  Luke 11:1-4 (cf Matthew 6:9-13)

PRAISE God (Lk. 11:1) – Prayer is simply an opportunity for personal worship.  Praise is an opportunity to make thoughtful statements to God.  To tell Him you love Him.  To thank Him for his attributes of grace, mercy, and kindness.  A time to express our reverence and awe for who HE is and what He has done in our lives.  Praising God is an opportunity to thank Him for all the things He has done for us from our physical life to our spiritual life.

Ask God, “What the PLAN?” (Mt. 6:10) – Prayer is an opportunity to ask and listen to God for His will for a particular need in your life.  Romans 12:2 says, “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.”  God has a specific “kingdom will” for each and every one of our lives.  He wants His Kingdom to be experienced in and through us.  We should communicate with God concerning any and every decision we make.  There is no aspect of our lives that is too small or too big to not talk and listen to God about.

Ask God for daily PROVISION (Luke 11:3) – Prayer is an opportunity to express our dependence on God for what we need.  Whether we realize it or not anything and everything we possess is a result of God graciously granting it to us.  We don’t need much.  1 Timothy 6:8 says, “if we have good and clothing, with these we will be content.” There is a big difference between what we need and what we want.  Prayer is not like a genie lamp that we ask whatever we wish and “poof”, it happens.  Asking God for daily provision is recognizing that God is the source of everything and we should be in constant dependence on Him for everything.

Tell God we are PENITENT (Luke 11:4) – Prayer is an opportunity to receive and give forgiveness.  To be penitent is to be remorseful or repentant.  1 John 1:9 says, “if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  As a Christian, sin continues to be a part of our lives and so repentance is more than a one time event when we come to Christ.  It is continually being aware of our own sin and God’s forgiveness that allows us to have an attitude of forgiveness toward those who sins against us.  Colossians 3:13 says, “forgive each other, as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”  It is talking and listening to God that allows us to be right with God and be right with others.

Ask God for spiritual PROTECTION (Luke 11:4) – Prayer is an opportunity to ask God to help us avoid sin and evil that is constantly pursuing us.  1 Corinthians 10:13 say, “no temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.  God is faithful, and he will not let your be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”  We do not have to give into temptation.  There is not temptation you will ever experience that God won’t give you the strength and courage you need to overcome.

CONCLUSION:
If communicating with God through prayer was a priority in Jesus’ life, then it should be a priority in our lives.  Life is full of demands that challenge our humanity, and just like Jesus, we need to communicate with God in order to gain the energy, strength, and direction we need.  How important of a priority in your life is communicating with God through prayer?

The Walk of Following

We are obsessed with following people.  We “follow” all kinds of people on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat.  We “follow” our friends and family.  We “follow” celebrities and personalities.  We “follow” businesses and organizations.  We will follow people we don’t even know.  We spend hours looking at photos and reading posts of all those we follow.  Our lives are full of following individuals and things that we are interested in.  We don’t hesitate to follow anyone and everyone so why are we so hesitant to follow Jesus?

READ:  Matthew 4:18-22

Jesus Christ was way ahead of His time.  Even before the internet, before smartphones, before Facebook, before Twitter, before Instagram, before Snapchat, . . . Jesus invited people to “follow” Him.  Following Jesus is much more than keeping up with His status or His daily story.   Living life in the same way as Jesus did requires RESPONDING to His INVITATION to FOLLOW Him with our LIVES!  Jesus said in John 8:12, “I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life”.  The invitation to follow Jesus is no casual invitation.  Following Jesus is not like social media where we observe or admire someone from a distance, it is entering into the same life as He lived.  The greek words “δευτε οπισω” together translated “follow” mean to “come along behind”.  Jesus invitation to follow was not physical follow the leader, but an invitation to get close to Him, to get near to Him, and to imitate His life.  For the disciples, following Jesus meant a dramatic shift in the overall direction and purpose of their lives.

What response does Jesus’ invitation to follow Him require?  Andrew, Simon, James, and John all did two things in response to Jesus’ invitation to follow Him.  This is how we are to respond to Jesus’ invitation as well.

Following Jesus requires an IMMEDIATE response (vss 20, 22) – Most of us want immediate everything, . . . except when it comes to making major commitments. When we receive an invitation, we wait until the very last minute in order to keep our options open.  We like to consider the possibilities before we go all in on anything.  If we commit too early, we might miss out on something better.  The disciples responded to Jesus invitation to follow Him “immediately”.  They didn’t wait for a less demanding leader, they didn’t wait until their life circumstances were more favorable, they didn’t wait until they knew all the details of what following Jesus would mean.  If they would have waited, they would have missed out!  At any moment we sense Jesus inviting us to follow Him, we must not wait.  We must respond immediately with our whole lives!

Following Jesus requires LEAVING behind ANYTHING in life that we DEPEND on (vss 20, 22) – We would be considered foolish if we just left things of value behind.  If we study at the library, we don’t just leave our laptop behind in the cubicle.  If we go to a friend’s house, we don’t just leave our cell phone behind on the counter.  If we drive to the store, we don’t just leave our car with keys in the ignition and walk home.  That would be foolish.  And yet, why would Andrew, Simon, James, and John “leave” their nets, boat, and father behind to follow Jesus?  Because they understood that accepting the invitation to follow Jesus was the most important, most valuable, and most meaningful thing they could do with their lives.  There is nothing in life worth holding on to if it means missing out on following Christ.

CONCLUSION
Jesus Christ has sent all of us a follower request.  Jesus didn’t just invite Simon, Andrew, James, and John, He invited all twelve of His disciples to follow Him and each of them responded yes with their lives. Jesus Christ invites all of us to follow Him.  The invitation is not an invitation to respond sometime in the future, but an invitation to respond right now today.  The invitation is an invitation that is going to demand that our lives dramatically change even if it means giving up something that we depend on in life. Don’t miss out on the most important, most valuable, most meaningful thing you can do with your life! What is your response to Jesus’s invitation to “follow Him”?

The Walk

What if for one day, Jesus became you?  Jesus woke up in your bed, wore your clothes, lived in your house, and assumed your schedule.  What if, for 24 hours, Jesus became you?  Your friends became his friends, your parents became his parents, and your teachers became his teachers.  What if for one day, Jesus became you?  Jesus had your voice, your hairstyle, you physique, and your personality.  What if for one day, Jesus became you?  Jesus faced your temptation, your struggles, your doubts, your fears, and your anxiety. What if Jesus lived your life for one day?

For all of us, it would be an understatement to say that those 24 hours of our lives would be very different.  It might  seem to those observing from the outside that an alien had taken over our body.  Our attitude and thoughts would be altered.  We would speak and behave differently.  Our priorities and schedule would be changed.  Most dramatically, our heart would be unrecognizably transformed. What expectation does God have for how we live our lives?

READ:  1 John 2:1-6

God expects nothing less from us than to live LIFE the SAME WAY Jesus did!  The word translated “walk” comes word from the περιπατεω which means to “live” or “behave” in a particular manner.  We are to emulate the pattern of living that Jesus exhibited during His life.  According to Romans 8:29, “those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son” (cf. Col. 3:10).  From the very beginning, God’s plan has been to use the Holy Spirit to transform us into people who are Christlike.  Christlikeness is more than an attitude adjustment or behavior modification, it is a Spirit-led way of living that impacts all of our attitudes, thoughts, words, and actions.  Christlikeness is a lifelong process and the ultimate pinnacle of God’s plans for us as humans!

What does it mean to live life the same way Jesus did?  There are 3 characteristics of Jesus’ life that we must emulate in order to become more like Him.  If we are going to live life the same way Jesus did we need to . . .

Live life using the same METHOD as Jesus (John 1:14) – Jesus’ method of relating with humanity was incarnational.  Jesus, God Himself, related with us by humbly putting on human “flesh” and “dwelt among us” (cf. Phil 2:6-7).  In order to be Christlike, Jesus’ method of being incarnational must become our method.  We are incarnational when we intentionally humble ourselves and enter into the world of others through relationship.  Jesus left the comforts of heaven in order to relate with us and we are to relate in the same way with others!

Live life proclaiming the same MESSAGE as Jesus (Matthew 4:17) – Jesus message was simple, “repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”.  Jesus spoke frequently about His relationship with the Father and the importance of believing in Him in order to be forgiven of sin and receive the gift of eternal life (John 3:16).  In order to be Christlike, Jesus’ message of salvation must become our message.  Jesus proclaimed the message that believing in Him was the way to have a relationship with God (John 14:6), and we must proclaim the same message to others!

Live life with the same MISSION as Jesus (Philippians 2:8) – A mission is an extremely important assignment, an objective, or a goal to be accomplished.  Jesus mission in taking on “human form” was to “die on the cross”.  Jesus sacrificially paid the penalty of our sin so that we could receive the benefit of forgiveness.  In order to be Christlike, Jesus’ mission of sacrifice must become our mission.  Being on the same mission as Jesus means sacrificing ourselves for the benefit of others. 1 John 3:16 says, “(Jesus) laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers”.  Jesus sacrificed Himself for us and we are to live in the same way for others!

CONCLUSION
According to 1 John 2:5 “walking in the same way in which (Jesus) walked” is how we “know” we are in Christ.  We are in Jesus Christ when we believe that He is the propitiation for our sins.  Jesus walked through life in the humble and sacrificial way that He did because He loves us and was willing to pay the penalty for our sin.  There is no reason to try to live for Christ if we’ve never trusted in the fact that He died for us. We will never walk in the same way in which Jesus walked if we never put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ. Do you believe that Jesus Christ walked through life to the cross for you?  If we do, then we ought start walking in the same way that He walked!

In The Lord Strong

Our culture is currently in love with superhero movies.  All superheroes have one thing in common, . . . they all have an archenemy that they are fighting against including characters like Lex Luther (Super Man), The Joker (Batman), Red Skull (Captain America), Mandarin (Iron Man), Thunderbolt Ross (The Hulk), and Loki (Thor).  Archenemies are typically arrogant, greedy, and ultimately, for some diabolical reason, want to rule the entire universe.  Archenemies are opposed to what is good and right with no care or concern for anyone who might resist or stand against them.  That’s why we love superheroes, they fight against evil and do everything in their strength to stand for what is right and defend peace.

Archenemies are not just for imaginary superheroes.  All of humanity has a very real archenemy.  Who is the archenemy that we need to defend ourselves against?

READ:  Ephesians 6:10-20

In the Lord strong is our dependence on God to STAND FIRM in our BATTLE against the DEVIL!  Humanity’s archenemy is the devil or satan. DEVIL = A spiritual being who arrogantly OPPOSES God by trying to destroy PEACE with His creation (especially HUMANITY).  1 Peter 5:8 says, “your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”  Deceptively, satan doesn’t appear in a form that is as ferocious as he really is, 2 Corinthians 11:14 says, “Satan disguises himself as an angel of light”.  From the very beginning the devil has been making efforts to create antagonism between us and God (Gen. 3:1).  While the devil has been allowed to have some power, God has provided us with everything we need to confidently stand firm against the devil’s schemes.  How do we stand firm against the devil?

We stand firm against the devil by putting on the whole ARMOR of God (Eph. 6:11-17) – All superheroes have a special skill, weapon, or armor that helps them in battle against their archenemy. Captain America’s shield, Iron Man’s suit, Thor’s Hammer, Spiderman’s webs, Hawkeye’s bow and arrow, etc.  Without this equipment it would be dangerous for a superhero to do battle against their archenemy.  We too are defenseless against the devil’s attacks unless we take with us the spiritual armor and weapons that God has given to us.  A few of the armor and weapons we must put on to stand firm against the devil include “truth”, “righteousness”, the “gospel”, “faith”, “salvation”, and the “word of God”!  These are powerful spiritual tools necessary to, as James 4:7 says, “resist the devil, and he will flee from you”.  The devil is powerless against these weapons and armor, therefore, we should make effort to take them with us all the time, everywhere we go.

We stand firm against the devil by PRAYING at all times (Eph. 6:18-19) – It’s pretty obvious in the Avenger’s movies that all of the superheroes have a high tech device in their ear that allows all of them to be in communication with one another.  Communication together is an important part of them coordinating their efforts against their enemies.  After listing all the spiritual armor and weapons, Paul instructs those who are strong in the Lord to be, “praying at all times”.  Prayer is a believer’s unique ability to communicate with God and receive guidance and direction from Him.  We are not only to pray for ourselves, but for others as well, as we individually and collectively fight together against the devil.  God is fully aware of the activity of the devil and can give us important tactical information about how to defend ourselves and others against his attacks. Without prayer, we are disconnected from the Lord who is our greatest source of strength and might!

CONCLUSION
The devil’s evil schemes have eternally destroyed innumerable human lives since the beginning of creation!  We are the target of his attacks today.  That is why Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins, in order that, “He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil (Heb. 2:14)”.  We must not allow ourselves or anyone we know to be the victim of the devil’s diabolical efforts to destroy us.  We must “armor up” every day and be strong in the Lord!  Are you standing firm in the Lord or are you vulnerable to the devil’s attack? 

Gospel Strong

Sharing the gospel is intimidating.  The first time I can remember really being challenged and being convicted to share the gospel was the summer of 1992 when I was 18 years old and started working as a counselor at East Iowa Bible Camp.  During our counselor training the camp dean told us that part of our responsibility was to share the gospel with each and every child that was in our cabin.  So, every week of the summer I had a one-on-one meeting with 6-8 kids with the whole purpose of sharing the gospel with them.  I remember being extremely anxious before every one of those meetings, but God gave me strength I needed every time even though I didn’t feel like I was able to do it!

No matter how weak we might feel communicating the gospel, we need gain the strength from somewhere to be able to do it. Where do we get the strength to share the gospel with others?

READ:  2 Timothy 4:9-18

Gospel strong is God’s presence within us giving us the ABILITY to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ!  The word “strengthened” from the greek word δυναμις can also be translated “power”.  A couple of other prominent places where δυναμις and the sharing the gospel are linked together include Acts 1:8 where Jesus says, “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” and Romans 1:16 where Paul says, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes”.  Plain and simple, God supplies all the power necessary to proclaim the gospel.  God supplies us with the power to be a witness and He is the power behind what we say.  That means that all God really needs is our obedience and our vocal chords!  If we will speak the words of the gospel to another, God will do the rest.  What is the gospel?  The message that Jesus Christ died, was buried, and rose 3 days later in order to pay the penalty for sin and grant believers eternal salvation.  How does God’s presence help our ability to proclaim the message gospel?

The Lord is WITH us as we proclaim the message of the gospel (2 Tim. 4:17a) – When someone “stands beside” us it means they are with us in whatever way is necessary to provide encouragement and support for us.  It is the Lord who “stood by” Paul in His efforts to proclaim the message of the gospel.  Jesus said in Matthew 28:19-20, “All authority in heaven and no earth has been given to me.  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, . . . And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age”.  Jesus Christ Himself has promised that He will stand beside us and be a powerful personal presence with us in our efforts to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ!  In the midst of anxiety, fear, intimidation, and persecutions we can have calm, courage, and boldness knowing that God is with us.

The Lord proclaims the message of the gospel THROUGH us (2 Tim. 4:17b) – A megaphone is an electronic device that reduplicates and amplifies someone’s voice.  Our role in sharing the gospel is like a megaphone.  We are not the source of the message, God is the source off the message, and He communicates His message powerfully “through” us.  We are a simply a tool God uses to direct the gospel toward specific people.  Here’s the convicting part, people will not hear God’s voice if we keep our voice “muted”.  The only way for God’s message to get communicated through us is if “unmute” our voice and are willing and ready to share the gospel when we sense God “pulling the trigger” in our lives to speak.

CONCLUSION
God wants to communicate the message of the good news of Jesus Christ to someone within hearing range of we who are His megaphones.  God has intentionally pointed our lives in the direction of specific people so that when He pulls the trigger and speaks they can hear Him.  It is at those moments that we need God’s strength to “unmute” our voice and be ready to speak the message of the gospel!  Who in your life is God leading you to be gospel strong!?!

Harmony Strong

Arm wrestling reveals the difference in strength between two individuals.  In 2001 our youth group went on a mission trip and one of the traditional evening activities was an arm wrestling contest.  I decided to give it a try just to have some fun and won several of my first round competitions.  My third opponent was a 5’3” 225lb football player who had arms that were about 3 times the size of mine.  As soon as I sat down at the table I started joking with him thinking this was the end of my competition.  To my surprise, when we were told, “go” my arm was not thrown through the table, in fact, I held my own and eventually ended up winning!  In almost every arm wrestling match one person is always stronger and one person is weaker.

This is true of our faith as well!  If we compared any two individuals we would discover that one is stronger in their faith and one is weaker in their faith.  Those who are stronger in their faith have an obligation not to boast and brag, but rather to help those who are weaker become stronger.  How do those who are strong in their faith help those who are weak in their faith become stronger?

READ:  Romans 15:1-6

Harmony strong is the effort to be UNIFIED with others by BUILDING others up!  The word harmony basically means to “think the same thing”.  Paul talks about what it means to be harmony strong in Ephesians 4:11-13 when he says, “He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”  According to these verses harmony strong is the collective Christlikeness of believers.  The process of building one another up does not end until we all, strong and weak, are equal in our Christlikeness.  What are some ways we build others up in order to be more unified in Christlikeness?

We build others up by BEARING with their FAILINGS (Romans 15:1) – In order for children to learn certain skills, parents must not be impatient or get frustrated with their weaknesses.  There have been several times I included my children in a building project and quickly gave up on them simply because they were not strong enough to drive a nail with a hammer.  Rather than judge another’s relative weakness, we are told to “bear” with their “failings”.  The word “bear” means to “lift” or to “carry the weight of something”.  The proper way for me to teach my children to drive a nail is to use my strength to hammer a nail with them until they develop their own strength to do it.  Paul said in Galatians 6:1-2, “if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.  Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.  Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ”.  It is in moments of others’ weakness that we are to use our strength to gently restore and build their faith back up.  We must not be quick to get frustrated with the moral failings of others, remembering that we may need others to bear with us when we have failed!

We build others up by doing what is PLEASING to them (Romans 15:2-3) – Jesus Christ did not use His strength in life for the purpose of pleasing Himself, but rather for the purpose of pleasing others.  Jesus always spoke and did things unselfishly that would give pleasure to others (Phil. 2:3-8).  In order to experience harmony with others we must be willing to speak and do things, “for (their) good” and to, “build (them) up”.  The hardest thing about pleasing others is that it almost always involves a personal sacrifice requiring us to unselfishly give up something we want with the personal happiness of someone else in mind.

CONCLUSION
The word harmony is used to describe the beautiful sound created when a combination of different musical notes are sung or played together at the same time.  Romans 15:6 says we are to harmonize with others until together with, “one voice (we) glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ”.  Harmony strong is beautiful music to God’s ears!  Are you glorifying God by harmonizing together in one voice with others?

Contentment Strong

“The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence” . . . this phrase is used to describe our dissatisfaction with what we have.  It’s not just the grass that’s greener, it’s the house that’s bigger, it’s the car that’s faster, it’s the clothes that are more stylish, it’s the iPod that’s a newer generation, it’s the friends that are more popular, it’s the girlfriend that’s prettier, it’s the boyfriend that’s more handsome, it’s the jumpshot that’s more accurate, it’s the skin that’s clearer, it’s the muscles that are stronger, it’s the grade point average that’s higher, it’s the parent’s that are cooler and not so strict, etc.  Get the picture?  It really doesn’t matter what it is, dissatisfaction simply an attitude that if we don’t have it, we want it!

God warned against dissatisfaction in Exodus 20:17 and Deuteronomy 5:21 when He said, “you shall not covet”.  Covetousness is simply a desire or longing for something.  When we look over someone else’s “fence” we are not to desire or long for the things that they possess.  Covetousness is a sin that destroys our happiness and joy.  What type of strength do we need in order to resist dissatisfaction and covetousness?

READ:  Philippians 4:11-13

The strength we need to resist covetousness is contentment.  Contentment strong is being SATISFIED in God and in need of NOTHING else to bring us joy!  To “be content” means to be “self-sufficient” or “independent of external circumstances”.  In contrast to dissatisfaction and covetousness, contentment is an attiude we are all capable of attaining.  How do we gain contentment?

Contentment is a SECRET that is LEARNED (Phil. 4:11) – There is a whole universe of things available for us to learn.  We can learn to read, write, and do math in the classroom.  We can learn to play a sport on the court or playing field.  We can learn to drive behind the wheel of a car.  Until we learn these things and unlock the secret of being able to do it, we will never enjoy the benefits of learning how to do it.  Paul says that contentment is a “secret” that can be “learned”.  If we are unwilling to learn we will continue to be miserably dissatisfied and commit the sin of covetousness.  Contentment is a secret only those willing to learn will enjoy the benefits of.

Contentment does not change with our SITUATION or CIRCUMSTANCE (Phil. 4:12) – We cannot control whether it is hot or cold outside, but we can choose to enjoy the season.  In the winter, when it is cold, we can build snowmen or go sledding.  In the summer, when it is hot, we can go to the pool or the beach.  Paul says that contentment is possible no matter what our “situation” and “circumstance” is in life.  One secret of being content is knowing the difference between things we need and things we want.  1 Timothy 6:6-8 says, “godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.  But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content”.  A simple way we resist the temptation of dissatisfaction is to always be grateful for the basic necessities in life and expect nothing more.

Contentment requires strength that comes from GOD (Phil. 4:13) –  Philippians 4:13 is a very popular verse that is often used as a blank check from God that He will give us strength to do anything and everything we put our minds to in life.  In reality, Philippians 4:13 is a promise from God to give us “strength” to “do” all that is necessary to remain satisfied whether we find ourselves in circumstances where we are lacking or in abundance.  When we are dissatisfied we must remember that God supplies the strength we need to be content.

CONCLUSION
Hebrews 13:5-6 says, “Keep yourself free from love of money, and be content with what you have for He has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?’”  Contentment is possible when we are convinced that the God of the universe will never leave us nor forsake us.  John Piper said, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him”. Contentment is believing with all confidence that God is enough!  Is God ENOUGH in your life?