Summary: As Christians, should we be satisfied or dissatisfied? The answer is both. This sounds like a bit of a paradox – and it is

Soulically Satisfied & Divinely Dissastisfied

 As Christians, should we be satisfied or dissatisfied?

 The answer is both

 This sounds like a bit of a paradox – and it is

 We are to be soulically satisfied yet divinely dissatisfied

Phil 4:11-14

11 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content:

 “to need” – penury (Extreme want or poverty; desperation)

 There seems to be confusion regarding the “prosperity message” TV evangelists are teaching

 Yes God wants to prosper us

 Yes He is the God of increase

 But He is far more concerned about our spiritual increase than creature comforts & things

 Somehow the church has equated spiritual maturity with prosperity – this is a fallacy

 He wants to see if we will be thankful and content in “whatever” He is doing in our lives at the time

 God wants us to be Soulically Satisfied

 ILL. I know of one college student who purposely lives with next to nothing.

 He purposely goes without most creature comforts because he simply sees no value in them.

 His parents will give him money for supplies and books and after buying the bare essentials he needs to continue his education, he just gives away the rest.

 However, this young man is increasing greatly every time I see him – the anointing is notably stronger on him each time I see him.

 Godly Wisdom seems to flow out of him more each time I see him

 There is such a contentment in him… that I am convicted

 The Father is bringing us to place where we give no regard to the things of this world

 Luke 12:22 Then He said to His disciples, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. 23 Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.

 If our focus is on carnal things – we are missing what real life is all about

 “I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content”

 Paul had to learn, he had to train his spirit-man to be in control – it doesn’t always happen overnight

 Greek translations "have I learned the secret”, "I have been initiated"

 What secret did Paul learn? - detachment

 He’s saying “These ‘things’ are merely peripherals, they don’t define me, they don’t determine my outlook

 “I am content, I am thankful, I am grateful because I am detached from these things & simply trust God”

 If your hand is gripped around something, it can’t hold anything else

 When we are not content, we get restless, greedy, lustful, egotistical, we live by pride and not faith

 We invite worry and stress into our life

 We invite soulical council rather than godly wisdom

 ILL. The blacksmith & the strong-willed boy – There was a blacksmith who had a young son who was very strong-willed and discontent. He always wanted to do more than his father would allow. One morning when the blacksmith was forging new horseshoes, the boy came to take a look at his dad’s work. “That’s close enough!”, the blacksmith told to the boy. “Those are still hot.” After a few minutes the young boy inched closer to the shoes that were lying on the bench cooling. “Son, those are too hot to handle, don’t touch them!”, the man scolded. Finally when the man wasn’t looking, the boy inched up to the finished horseshoes, grabbed one up and dropped it immediately, shaking his hands about. “See what happens when you are not satisfied with what I tell you! You got burnt didn’t you?” “In quiet stubbornness, the boy replied, “No sir, it just didn’t take me long to look at them.”

 Discontentment opens us up to bad decision making and impulsive behavior

 It will shut off blessing from our lives

 And there is no satisfaction in it… (Mick Jagger)

 Gal 5:24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

 Who is going to be in charge in your being – spirit or soul?

12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

 Before you get to take the prosperity test you gotta pass the poverty test

 “I know how to be abased” – a low, humble state

 Do I believe in prosperity and blessing? You bet I do!

 God wants to see what we are going to do with what we have first

 Matt 25:21’…Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.

 God wants to make us ruler over much

 But we must learn to faithful with the little first, and faith is trusting Him, being obedient with the little

 He wants to see that we have complete contentment in whatever He supplies

 God wants to see if we’ll trust Him

 If we’ll learn to be content in every situation?

 Job was content loosing everything, Job 13:15 “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him….”

 Job learned the same secret that Paul learned to pass the poverty test- detachment

 Then as we are just flowing in peace and contentment, blessings began showing up

 Now here is the 2nd secret we need to learn – “to be abound”

 This is the prosperity test

 What are we going to do when blessings come?

 What is the secret to being abound? - detachment

 Are we going to be greedy and want more or will we be thankful and just praise the Lord?

 Will we hoard to ourselves or will we bless those around us?

PAUL MOVES FROM CARNAL TO SPIRITUAL

 Paul says, “I have learned to be full and to be hungry” (vs 12 c)

 I believe that we can be full and hungry at the same time

 Here is the paradox – we can be satisfied and dissatisfied at the same time

 We can have contentment and covetousness simultaneously

 We can be soulically satisfied yet divinely dissatisfied

 “to be full” chortazo (khor-tad’-zo); to gorge, to feed, to fill

 Paul is no longer talking about natural food and natural things but spiritual food & spiritual things

 Nowhere are we told to stuff our faces with natural food – (Harrison taught this Wed night) (the quail)

 However, the Bible continually tells us to fill our spirit-man – to eat and drink of the Lord

 Eph 5:18 “…but be filled with the Spirit,”

 The Bible tells us that we should desire and covet – the presence of the Lord

 Ps 42:1 As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.

 Ps 63:1-5 God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water. 2 So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory. 3 Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You. 4 Thus I will bless You while I live;I will lift up my hands in Your name. 5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness,

 John 7:37 "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."

 Ps 143:6 I spread out my hands to You;My soul longs for You like a thirsty land.

 Ps 84:2 My soul longs, yes, even faints For the courts of the LORD;My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

 Ps 73:25 Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.

 And as we covet and desire His presence, He pours blessing for us to enjoy in the natural

 Because our focus is on Him

 Matt 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

 As we seek him, blessing began seeking us

 Some of you may be sitting there thinking this all sounds good in theory but how am I going to get this working in my life?

13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

 The Holy Spirit stopped Paul right in the middle of this deep paradox and said, “don’t freak out! – Of course you can’t do it but Jesus can!”

 You can get soulical satisfaction working in your life

 You can have contentment

 You can have a peace that passes all understanding regardless of what your situation happens to be at the time

 but you have to let Jesus do it for you

 He wants to take you into the supernatural realm

 He wants to show you life and life more abundant

 He wants to manifest His glory in your life

 “Strengthens” endunamounti - literally, "infuses strength into me,"

 Jesus wants to infuse you with strength

 Paul wants to make it clear, that his contentment, his sufficiency is not in himself but in Christ Jesus

 But you have to give Him permission – you must allow Him, we are agents of free will

 He wants to infuse us with strength

 He wants to impart to us a peace that passes all understanding

 He wants us to seek Him and not his blessings

 He wants us to be so focused on getting more of His presence in our lives that we become completely detached from our carnal desires

 Ps 36:8 They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures. 9 For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light.

 Let God worry about our needs and our desires

 We are thankful for every material blessing but it is not what we strive for, its just stuff, we’re after Him

 You see we live in a paradox

 We are content yet covetous

 We are soulically satisfied & divinely dissatisfied