Are You Worshipping the God of Entitlement?

You know, I read this quote in preparing for today's show. Do you have a spirit of entitlement? Now this was an article by Daniel Henderson. It was from church leaders on August 9, 2023.And the article states this. Now be ready for this one. A spirit of entitlement is growing like stage four cancer these days.Entitlement places self at the center of one's universe. Now that's deep, isn't it? Which leads me to today's listener question. Ralph, I know Christmas is about Jesus.Well, listen, I'm happy she understands that. But honestly, I feel pressured to buy more, give more and keep up with everyone else.How do I break free from this guilt and sense of what I'm giving is never enough. What we're talking about here is a silent idol and that's that entitlement. It creeps into our homes every December.It's not like the elf on the shelf. It doesn't sit on the shelf or shine with gold. But in so many ways, it demands your attention, it demands your time.And honestly, it demands your money. And that God of entitlement, it's that voice whispering, you deserve more. Your kids deserve more. You're failing if you don't give them everything.But you ready for some truth. This comes out of love. You can't serve both contentment and comparison. So let's find that balance on today's show.

This is financially Confident Christian, your daily dose of gospel, grounded insight and faith driven tips to help you break the cycle of financial shame with confidence.

Welcome to the show. I'm Ralph.I'm so happy you chose to join me today as I continue on this journey of helping you break that cycle of financial shame and do it with confidence. And over the years, I've counseled hundreds of families who were weighed down by bills.That was part of it, but bigger than that, they were weighed down by guilt. The guilt of not doing enough, the guilt of not spending enough, the guilt of not being enough.And if I'm being honest, and maybe you are going to admit this to, I've lived in that tension as a parent. I wanted to give my kids the world. I wanted to make sure they had everything they could ever want.But there came a point when I realized I was actually robbing them. I was robbing them of gratitude and I was robbing them of peace. You know, a few years ago, this is really honesty.A few years ago I noticed something. I was more focused on what we couldn't afford and less thankful for what we already had.I Remember looking back as I was chasing an image, this cultural image, what the world had sold us. Listen, if you have these things, if you can give, if you can do this, if you can do that, that was the image I was chasing.But I had to shift something and I shifted to gratitude. And when I made that shift and listen, this isn't easy and I still battle this every day.So if you're still battling this or if you're like Ralph, I never even thought about this. This is not easy. This is warfare. This is spiritual warfare.But when I shifted to gratitude and I promise you I'm coming back to answer your question, everything changed. Joy deep and peace returned. And I love what Pastor Tim Keller says.He says an idol is anything you look to and say, if I had, then my life has meaning. Now that's super powerful, isn't it? But see, that's what entitlement does. It turns more into our measure of meaning.So let's get back to our question today. How do I break free from this guilt and the sense of that what I'm giving is never enough. Man, this is so appropriate for the holidays, isn't it?And today I want to share with you ways to break free from that number one thing. Entitlement is misplaced worship. When we feel entitled.Now I'm going to get rather strong today, but when we feel entitled, we're saying to God, what you've given, God isn't enough. Oh, I'll thank you very much, Lord, but I want more. This is not enough. That's not budgeting. That's a spiritual posture. It's not about money.See, it's not about money.At that point, we're worshiping the idol of entitlement and we're basically smacking God across the face and say, what you've given me isn't enough, Lord. But that's a spiritual posture. So it starts there. And see, guilt disguises idolatry. See, guilt whispers something.We must prove love through possessions. How many people have lived a life where their worth was found in possessions? It's so easy to fall into that trap. But listen, love doesn't need proof.Listen, this is a battle that I still fight. Christmas comes around, birthdays come around.First thing I think of, well, if I love my family member, if I love my wife or I love my husband, whatever that looks like for you, I better make sure I prove it by buying something. But that's a bold faced lie, because love needs presence. Not the kind you put under the tree, not the kind you Open.But your presence and I know that seems to be a theme in this series. Right? We talked a lot about presence over presence.And I'm going to harp for a second again on social media because social media continues to fuel this comparison. Here I go again. But every post tells kids and yourself happiness is bought, not built. It's a lie. And what are we modeling?I'm step on some toes right now. Our job is to model a different story for our family, for our children. Joy is found. That's why I'm so happy.What the listener said, she said, I believe that Jesus is the reason for the season. Well, joy is found in Jesus, not in stuff. That's the problem. As a culture, we've moved so far away from the true meaning of Christmas.It's not about Jesus anymore. It's about how much can we pile underneath the tree so everybody feels good. Oh, you feel loved because you have a ton of presence.But have you demonstrated this to your kids, that gratitude, that daily gratitude? Because here's the thing, kids live what they learn.And that gratitude that's starting to demonstrate and model that gratitude breaks that power of entitlement. And when you thank God for what you have, that desire for more. And listen, I truly believe that is a fleshly desire. You're going to battle that.I think we all battle that.But when you thank God, when you stop there and say, listen, Lord, I'm thankful, I'm grateful for what I have, that entitlement, that feeling you need more begins to lose its grip. What am I really talking about here? I'm talking about surrender. And surrender brings joy. It's that fight against culture.I'm going to talk to you about my show Truth Unveiled with Ralph. One of the big things I do on a weekly show, it's called Truth Unveil with Ralph.You can get to it by going to truthunveilwithralph.com is every week I talk about how to take culture and we're surrounded by this noise of culture and how to compare that with the biblical truth of scripture. So I'm encourage you go check that out. If you're not already listening to it, you can sign up for it Again, that's truth unveiled with Ralph.com.but when we lay down those cultural expectations, it's active work to do this. You make room for lasting peace and that's the kind of gift that you can't buy. Let's get to our Bible today.We've got a verse here from Colossians, chapter 3, verse 5. And it says this, put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature, greed. Here we go. Which is idolatry.Right across the bow there, my friends. Right, Put it to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature. What's the Bible alluding to here? Greed, earthly nature, flesh.But put that to death. How about we pray together, Lord, we hear in your word to put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature. Greed, Lord.And we just ask that you would show us how to do that. Help us to find where entitlement can take the place of gratitude. Help us to really lean into that, Lord.Help us to find gratitude and separate ourselves from that constant entitlement. Help me to model this true contentment for my children, for the world around me, for culture around me.Because, Lord, we live in a world that's obsessed with the more we hear it from all directions.And I just want you to tell me, Lord, help me to say no when it honors you, when guilt tries to tell us otherwise, Lord, help us to find our spiritual base in you. And we ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen. Okay, this week, here's your action item for today.I want you to sit down with your family and make a gratitude over gifts list. Just three blessings. Three blessings that money can't buy. Keep that and then see it all of December.We're getting ready to get into the holiday season. This will help you remind yourself of what truly matters. Just build that gratitude over gifts list.And if this message spoke to your heart today, I'd love for you to join our new financially confident Christian community. It's way more than just a way to support the show.Sure, you can do that there, but it's a space where we can grow together, where we can share encouragement, we can live out God's plan for financial freedom. And you can join and learn more at financiallyconfidentchristian.com/join. I just want to encourage you today.Help me and help others find peace, find purpose, and find confidence in christ. Again, that's financiallyconfidentchristian.com/join. And just remember this. Entitlement whispers, you need more. But the answer is this.Gratitude answers. God, you've already given me enough. When you trade comparison for contentment, guilt will lose its grip. Hear me on that. And peace takes its place.Because freedom doesn't come from getting everything you want, but from worshiping the one who already gave you everything you need. So today, go out there and be a financially confident Christian. You can do this. I have confidence in you. The Lord is with you. Stay financially savvy.God bless you. And you have a great day today.