Fighting the Spiritual Battle of the “More” mindset:

More.

I really think the enemy and his demonic army spreads and sprinkles that feeling over people in this time and age.

He whispers it so subtly, you need more and more and more of that, whatever “that” is to be truly content and happy. And you start to believe it because it is what society is like and what everyone is doing.

I need more. And sometimes we feel so grateful but that feeling of that word creeps up on us and makes us feel a certain way. And we can wonder where in the world did that come from? I have everything I’ve ever needed and wanted.

I think we can get accustomed  to the life we live and one of the BIGGEST spiritual  battles we must be on guard about is to be ready when that “more” feeling comes up in our hearts and minds.

Unfortunately, we aren’t always immune to it and it can creep up from time to time because we are around it and immersed into that culture everyday. Consumerism is at it’s highest level in human history. The glam of social media and all the ads influencers post to get you to make you feel like you need this item to be like them and to make your life feel glamorous and easy. And just the fact , that most people can go out with a plastic card and buy anything at their fingertips and even go as far as getting what ever you want delivered right to your front door where all we have to do is open the door halfway and barely step out to grab that fingertip purchase. None of us are immune to that life and we are more privileged than we know or remember sometimes.

The truth is there will always be “more”. More things to buy, more experiences to have. More vacations you want to book. But we must wrestle with, does this honor God? How I spend my money and my thoughts surrounding whatever “it” is? We do not need more to be happy. It is one of the biggest lies the enemy is working with in today’s time. The lies that can fill our heads with what we feel will fill us up in life.

That brand new car will not complete you.

Endless outfits to choose from in your closet, will not satisfy you.

That white picket fence, 2500 sq foot house, will not fill in that hole of hurt of rejection from your childhood or breakup.

What that “more” feeling in your heart really means:

The key thing we must remember is the only thing our heart is longing for when we hear more, is more of Jesus. More quiet  time with Him, in a world full of distractions. More is not what the enemy or world intends it to be in things or possessions. The more feeling that comes up can get skewed by the world and the enemy twists  the reality, like he does with, a brightly colored lie. But the “more”, that comes up every now and then in our hearts, is Jesus. Our creator, the God of the universe, wired us all to want “more”, but just more of Him. We were made for more than what the world tells us will make us happy. It is a more that is bigger than how many cars we own, how many followers we have and more than our bank account.  When that thought or feeling  of more comes up and we start to feel like we need the “more” to find true happiness, we must cover that worldly lie with the TRUTH. Replace it with the real more your heart is feeling and yearning for:

More of Jesus.

We aren’t going to be able to take anything we own to heaven with us. 

Our bank account will be left behind, our car, our house and every possession we have. The only thing that will matter is the time and love you poured into others and your faith. The time you spent with Jesus. We will be remembered by how we loved, that time we showed grace and kindness to someone who didn’t deserve it and that time we opened our door to someone who needed a warm meal and something to drink. We will be remembered by God for how we lived, not how many degrees or titles we held, or how much money we hoarded. God’s kingdom beats to a different drum, than the sin and lie  filled world we live in now. 

So may we wrestle and be thoughtful humans, as we fight against what the world is trying to make us believe is a normal way to live and feel. May we try to live by Pauls wise words he wrote in the book of Philippians, verses 4:11-12:

“I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

Very hard words to live out but may we pray a little deeper on this when that more worldly feeling comes up next time. Paul also wrote those verses when he was imprisoned, wondering if he were to be killed any day.  So that really puts it in perspective even more of our contentness. The way we can fight these spiritual wordly battles is on our knees, looking up and running to Jesus and he will protect us and strengthen us to be content with what he has given us. And I believe we can be. We forget how privileged we truly are and when you think of others that do not have even inch of what we have, the perspective begins to change and gratitude changes the game.

You can have everything on paper on the worldly checklist that would give you the most happiness, what ever it may be, fame, money, a good looking spouse and a beautiful home. But you can still feel empty.

I love what the well known actor,  Jim carrey said on this topic:

“I wish everyone can get rich and famous and have everything they dreamed of so they can see, that is not the answer.”

It is a lie. Greed and needing more is a lie. It is an endless fountain of more if you always are searching for the more we talked about. Because greed never stops. It will only take more from you, ironically. The worldly more hole is a hole that will never be filled, as much as you try.

The “more” mindset in this world will not satisfy your heart. It may satisfy your flesh for a moment. But  our faith in God satisfies your soul for all eternity.

So may we as believers  all go against the grain of this culture and run to our bibles. Run to Jesus. And live gratefully and content in what God has blessed us with. And I promise you , that will always be more than enough and your cup will run over with peace and gratitude.

All for Jesus,

Steph