Two Temptation Scenes > Temptations of the evil one >
Major areas that can go wrong
previous < message 2TS04 > next
MESSAGE: 2TS04
Preached: 26 Jun 83 ▪ Edited: 28 Feb 06
Introduction | Tempting Eve via the spirit of discontentment | Discontentment – a common malady | Addressing discontentment in the Ten Commandments | Worldly attainments cannot bring true contentment | True contentment related to how God has created us | Faltering in the midst of God's abundant provisions | Finding true contentment – learning from the example of the Lord Jesus | Healthy discontentment | Concluding remarks
The theme of this message is discontentment and the way to true contentment.
One strategy that Satan commonly uses to cause man to sin is to stir up within his heart
the spirit of discontentment. The evil one used it successfully when he tempted Eve in the
Garden of Eden (Gen. 3). He also used this strategy, but unsuccessfully, to tempt the Lord
Jesus just before the Lord began His public ministry (Matt. 4).
The spirit of discontentment is a very significant problem in the world. We see in man an
insatiable desire and lust for money, material things, pleasure, fame, prestige and power.
The result is rivalry, bitterness, greed, covetousness and jealousy.
In the Garden of Eden, the evil one provoked Eve to be dissatisfied with what God had provided, with how God had created her, and with the framework within which God wanted her to work out her life. Because of her dissatisfaction, Eve longed for what God did not intend for her to have. This sinful desire or lust led Eve to sin and rebel against God. James 1:14-15 describes how lustful desires become sin and lead to death.
James 1:14-15
14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.
15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it
brings forth death.
Our reflections in the preceding three messages in this series clearly show this strategy
of the evil one at work.
In the first message, we saw the evil one casting doubt and confusion in the mind of
Eve regarding what God had spoken. He directly contradicted God by telling Eve that she
would not die if she were to eat the forbidden fruit, implying that God was withholding
something good from Adam and her. This strategy was aimed at causing Eve to doubt the
goodness of God and to be discontented with what God had provided.
In the second message, we reflected on how Eve entertained the temptation that led
to her fall. We saw how the evil one tempted her to look at the forbidden fruit as
something good for food and desirable to make one wise. Although God had already abundantly
provided for her needs, Satan stirred within Eve the spirit of discontentment, which led
her to entertain the temptation. She then proceeded to partake of that which was expressly
forbidden by the Lord.
In the Garden of Eden, God provided a context for Adam and Eve to have close fellowship
with Him. There were many avenues for them to grow. To cause them to depart from this
framework, the evil one first stirred up dissatisfaction in Eve with how God had created
her and with the framework within which God wanted her to work out her life. This led her
to reach out for wisdom and knowledge contrary to what God had intended.
In the third message, we considered Eve’s rebellious spirit when, in disobedience to
God, she took and ate the forbidden fruit.
In reflecting over the temptation of Eve in the Garden of Eden as a whole, we can see that
the attack of the evil one was very much linked to this strategy of arousing within the
heart of Eve the spirit of discontentment which led to disobedience, rebellion and her
fall.
Discontentment is at the heart of many problems in the world today. This spirit of
discontentment is greatly accentuated after the Fall. The world after the Fall is a cruel
and difficult place where there is much hardship, darkness and corruption. It is a harsh
world and there is much rivalry, hatred and bitterness. In such a context, it is easy for
the evil one to stir within us the spirit of discontentment. This scenario is true in the
lives of believers and non-believers.
We see this spirit of discontentment in men being manifested in greed, covetousness, strife
and jealousy, and also in earthly and spiritual ambitions that are outside of God’s will.
Having ambitions is not necessarily bad or unhealthy. But it will be if the ambitions are
outside God’s will or if the attitude behind them is not pleasing to God.
The apostle James tells us that a major cause of quarrels and conflicts is our lust for the
wrong things and the wrong kinds of pleasures (James 4:1-3). Lust is linked to envy or the
spirit of discontentment within the heart of man resulting in sin, conflicts, murder and
quarrels.
James 4:1-3
1 What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures
that wage war in your members?
2 You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you
fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask.
3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it
on your pleasures.
At the personal level, discontentment results in frustration and a lack of the peace and joy of the Lord within us. It also makes us vulnerable to attacks by the evil one because when we are discontented, we can easily yield to temptations. The evil one will offer us many things and deceive us into thinking that these things will satisfy the discontentment within us.
At a wider level, discontentment gives rise to conflicts in relationships among people.
Much of the rivalries, jealousies, fights and antagonism that arise among family members or
among colleagues are the result of discontentment and covetousness. Very often, because of
discontentment within them, people become unhappy, thus giving rise to ill feelings towards
others. Such conflicts and difficulties in inter-personal relationships have resulted in a
lot of pain, suffering and grief.
We also see the spirit of discontentment manifested in rivalries in many different group
activities, including apparently innocent activities such as the Scouts movement. We see
teams competing against one another with the desire to win and to be at the top. Instead of
promoting the spirit of cooperation, love, and consideration for one another, wrong and
unhealthy attitudes and aspirations can creep in very easily if we are not vigilant.
Discontentment is manifested at an uglier level in crimes that are committed in society.
Because of greed, people resort to violence to obtain what they desire. Even among gangs,
the greed for wealth and power results in strife and enmity. They fight for territorial
rights so that they have the right to extort money.
At the global level are conflicts and wars among nations. The spirit of discontentment is
very much at work in many of the political intrigues, sabotage and wars leading to much
bloodshed, destruction and suffering. From the records of history, we can see rulers and
nations wage wars because they are not satisfied with what they have. For the sake of
material possessions, fame, power and authority, nations waged wars against other nations
in order to expand their empires and to bring others under their rule. Although
discontentment is not the sole factor behind these problems, it is clearly an important
cause.
The seriousness of this problem of discontentment is addressed in the Ten Commandments. In it, the Lord states in a few simple, short statements some very important areas that we must pay heed to. The commandments: “You shall not murder”, “You shall not commit adultery”, “You shall not steal” and “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house…or anything that belongs to your neighbor”, are directed at the spirit of discontentment within us. Why people covet, steal or murder can often be traced to discontentment within them. James 4:1-2 tells us that men fight, quarrel and murder because they cannot get what they lust for. In the same way, adultery is committed when a person reaches out for someone whom he or she should not have a sexual relationship with.
In seeking to satisfy their discontented heart, people often strive for temporal things and
worldly attainments. But the irony is that these things they think would bring them true
contentment or satisfaction can never do so. Their striving can be likened to futile
attempts to fill up a bottomless pit. No matter how much they try, it is like “striving
after wind”.
In the Book of Ecclesiastes, the preacher set his mind to seek and explore all that had
been done under heaven, to see all the works that had been done under the sun, and to
pursue and acquire all that his eyes desired. He did not withhold his heart from any
pleasure. But in the end, he concluded that all was vanity and striving after wind. The
preacher in this context was a king who had worldly authority and power. As we read about
his worldly pursuits, the sense of futility comes through strikingly as he discovered that
all he pursued after could not satisfy his heart.
Why can’t contentment be found in worldly pursuit and attainments? Why do people who seek
for contentment in worldly pursuit and attainments continue to hunger and thirst? The
Scriptures tells us that true food and true drink are what truly satisfy. What do true food
and true drink refer to and why is reality this way?
There are two important reasons why reality is like that and it is helpful for us to be
very clear about them so that we will not be deceived. Both reasons are related to how God
has created us.
The higher aspects of man’s being are spiritual and moral and not the bodily, emotional or fleshly aspects. All worldly things and pursuits, no matter what form they take, do not satisfy men’s spiritual yearnings because they are temporal and superficial. Even if they are legitimate, for instance, the food and drink that we partake, they will not be able to satisfy us spiritually.
The higher aspects of the being of man can only be satisfied by the spiritual and the
eternal, by what pertains to the kingdom of God and by what comes from God. The emphasis
here is “what comes from God” and not just any spiritual experience. The evil one is
capable of offering us spiritual experiences but what comes from him will not satisfy and
will only lead to bondage.
There is nothing more helpful and logical than to hear and heed the words of our Maker
regarding what will truly satisfy. Let us reflect on the words of our Lord Jesus to the
Samaritan woman recorded in John 4.
John 4:13-14
13 Jesus answered and said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst
again;
14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water
that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal
life."
In saying “whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst”, the Lord
Jesus was not referring to quenching physical thirst. He was communicating to the Samaritan
woman the important issue of quenching her spiritual thirst. In verse 14, the Lord Jesus
was instructing her that what would really satisfy mankind could only come from Him. It
cannot be obtained from this world. What He was referring to is spiritual life and eternal
life and a relationship with the Lord that will truly satisfy the deep needs and longings
of the human heart.
This truth is elaborated in John 6. After the feeding of the 5,000, many people came to the
Lord Jesus because they were attracted to the material food (the bread). In this context
the Lord Jesus told them that they should not “work for the food which perishes, but for
the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give” (John 6:27). It is
what comes from the Son of Man that will endure to eternity.
This is a central message that the Lord Jesus seeks to communicate to mankind when He came
into this world - that true contentment can only be found in Him. We see this truth
recorded in John 6:35, 51, 54-56 and 63.
John 6:35
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who
believes in Me will never thirst.
John 6:51
"I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will
live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My
flesh."
John 6:54-56
54 “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life,
55 "For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink.
56 "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.
John 6:63
“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken
to you are spirit and are life.
When Christ says, “I am the bread of life” and “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood”,
He is not referring to physical bread or literal flesh and blood, but our partaking of His
life and our spiritual relationship with Him. In this context, the Lord Jesus says that if
we desire true satisfaction so that we will not hunger and thirst, we must come to Him and
believe in Him so that we may partake of His life. True contentment can be found only in
the Lord Jesus.
Are you unhappy? Are you discontented within yourself? Do you have a true sense of
satisfaction and fulfilment in your life?
Many are sadly mistaken when they attribute their unhappiness or discontentment to
difficult or deprived circumstances. Even when circumstances are favourable and seem to
satisfy, they may still be unhappy and discontented because deep down in their hearts,
there is an emptiness that none of the things in this world can fill.
If we are unhappy or discontented, let us not look for false substitutes that this world
offers. Let us come to Jesus who is the Truth. He does not lie. He has promised that if we
come to Him and live in Him, we will never hunger or thirst.
We must therefore concentrate on our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Unless our
relationship with Him is mended, developed and strengthened, there can never be true
contentment. There is no other way to a life of true contentment and abundance except
through the Lord Jesus Christ. He has proclaimed, “I am the way, and the truth and the
life”.
We sometimes hear John 6:35 being quoted during evangelistic meetings or personal
witnessing: “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who
believes in Me will never thirst”. However, after conversion, many believers still find
that they are discontented. Why? One basic reason is that their relationship with the Lord
Jesus is not deep. Even after conversion, we must continue to come to the Lord Jesus so
that we can develop a deeper fellowship and a more meaningful relationship with Him. The
satisfaction and fulfilment that we find in the Lord Jesus is not static but is capable of
growth. However, our fellowship and union with Him are often superficial because our faith
in Him and commitment to Him are superficial and we are not disciplined and have not taken
the time and effort to develop depth and quality in our relationship with Him.
The second reason why worldly striving and attainments can never lead to true satisfaction
and contentment in our lives is that God has set up a framework in His creation in which
true fulfilment and satisfaction can be found only in the moral sphere and in a life of
righteousness. There are important implications for our lives arising from this
truth.
True fulfilment and satisfaction can never be attained through evil, lust, greed, jealousy
and strife because God, being holy and righteous, will never permit it. Thus, those who
seek for true fulfilment and satisfaction by covetous means will never attain their
goal.
Again let us refer to the words of the Lord Jesus our Maker, the One who knows the way to
true satisfaction and fulfilment. In the Sermon on the Mount, He tells us clearly that the
life of satisfaction and fulfilment is very closely linked to positive moral values and a
life of righteousness.
Matthew 5:6
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be
satisfied.
The Lord did not say that satisfaction comes from possessing many material things nor did
He say that if we hunger and thirst after righteousness, we will gain much
materially.
The true satisfaction that the Lord Jesus talks about in this verse is not a temporal and
superficial kind, and it is related to a person’s hunger and thirst for righteousness.
God has ordained that our ultimate well-being is linked to moral qualities and the moral
yearnings of our heart. We find this truth recorded in many passages in the
Scriptures.
Proverbs 20:17 tells us that all the things that a person acquires by falsehood may appear
sweet but ultimately they will not satisfy.
Proverbs 20:17
Bread obtained by falsehood is sweet to a man,
But afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.
The same truth is also reflected in Proverbs 11:19. The writer tells us that a person who is steadfast in living righteously will live life in all its fullness, but the one who pursues evil will move towards spiritual death.
Proverbs 11:19
He who is steadfast in righteousness will attain to life,
And he who pursues evil will bring about his own death.
This principle also comes through in Psalm 1, which contrasts the life of the righteous with the life of the wicked.
Psalm 1:1-6
1 How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the
path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
3 He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season
And its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, he prospers.
4 The wicked are not so,
But they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the wicked will perish.
A man who lives righteously and whose delight is in the law of God will be blessed. But the
wicked will be like chaff that the wind blows away and his life will not truly prosper. The
people of the world use the word “prosperous” in a very different sense. Thus, a person may
appear very prosperous in the eyes of the world, but may not be truly prosperous in the
sight of God because if his life is not right with God, the true blessings of God will not
be upon him.
This truth is also much expounded in the New Testament. For example, Paul tells us in
Romans 8:6 that “the mind set on the flesh is death but the mind set on the Spirit is life
and peace” and Romans 14:17 tells us “the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but
righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit”. “Peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” and
“life and peace” communicate to us a life of spiritual richness and fulfilment and this
goes together with righteousness and a mind set on the Spirit. In contrast, a mind set on
the flesh and walking according to the flesh moves towards spiritual death.
Galatians 5:22-23 tells us the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
faithfulness, goodness, gentleness and self-control. When we walk according to the Spirit,
we will experience the fruit of the Spirit and these positive features will increasingly
become a part of our being. Men long for abiding love, joy and peace. True love, joy and
peace are in the Holy Spirit and are part and parcel of a life of true satisfaction,
fulfilment and spiritual well-being and they are closely linked to the positive moral
qualities of patience, kindness, faithfulness, goodness, gentleness and self-control. God
has created us such that true satisfaction, fulfilment and spiritual well-being are closely
linked to righteousness and positive moral living.
We must also pay attention to the way we go about acquiring things in this world. If our
approach is wrong, no matter how hard we may scheme, how much we accumulate or how rich we
become, we will never be able to find true fulfilment and contentment. Whatever we obtain
by evil schemes to fulfil our wrongful desires will only lead us further away from God and
from true fulfilment and spiritual well-being.
Although positive moral living is essential and important to true satisfaction and
fulfilment, just striving to live a positive moral life in our own strength will not bring
it about. We need the Holy Spirit to work in our lives and to enable us to live a truly
positive moral life. It is futile to keep on saying, “So long as I seek to live a positive
moral life, that is enough.” To live a life of true joy and abundance, we must look to the
Holy Spirit to work within our hearts and walk in fellowship with the Lord and in
dependence on Him.
Some people may at times feel a sense of annoyance towards Adam and Eve for failing so miserably. They cannot understand how Eve could be discontented when God had provided so abundantly in the Garden of Eden.
It is helpful to compare our context with that of Eve. God has blessed us with much and
there is much for us to be thankful for. 1 John 3:1 tells us “how great a love the Father
has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are”. As children
of God, we know that we are blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ (Eph. 1:3). We
also know that God does not withhold anything good from us (Rom. 8:32) and that there is an
imperishable inheritance that is awaiting us (1 Pet. 1:4). There is so much we can look
forward to in eternity.
Compared to Eve, we have access to a great deal more. For example, we now have the
Scriptures that Eve did not have. God has also provided the framework of church life where
His children can grow together and encourage and support one another. We are living in a
period after Pentecost where the Spirit of God has been poured forth and we are
strengthened and empowered by the Spirit of God. The Spirit of God is now working in us in
a way that is different from how He worked in the past.
In terms of the potential and the accessibility to spiritual blessings, we have more and
also know more than Eve in the Garden of Eden. Yet we too falter in this area of
discontentment! We should therefore ask ourselves why. Isn't it foolish and tragic for us
to yield to the evil one as he seeks to stir up within us the spirit of
discontentment?
In Luke 12:16-21, the Lord Jesus pronounced the rich man a fool because he was
concentrating on accumulating more and more material possessions and riches. Similarly,
this will also be the pronouncement on us if we are still discontented when God has already
provided for us abundantly. All the true riches in Christ are available to us.
We should ask ourselves, “What can the evil one really offer us?” The answer is “Nothing”.
There is nothing that is good and constructive that he can offer us. Rather, what he offers
are things that are evil and that will only destroy us. Satan has already been defeated at
the Cross and is destined for the lake of fire. Therefore he cannot offer us anything that
is good, enduring and satisfying. Let us not be foolish and be deceived by him and yield to
his temptations. As exemplified in the temptation scene in the Garden of Eden, many things
may appear attractive and a delight to the eyes but they are not good and will destroy
us.
Many worldly things and pursuits may appear attractive but the apostle John tells us, “Do
not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the
Father is not in him” (1 Jn. 2:15). The world and the things in the world cannot satisfy
us. They are used by the evil one to ensnare us, drain our spiritual appetite, lead us away
from God and bring us into sin and bondage.
Since we recognise that God has richly provided for us, that true blessings come from the Lord, and that the evil one has nothing to offer us, why then do we still falter in this area? Why do we allow the things of the world to ensnare, enchain and destroy us? Some of the reasons are:
We are deceived into thinking that moving in that direction is good for us, when in reality the opposite is true.
We lack clear understanding of the issues and their implications. There are many issues that we may think we already know, but in fact our knowledge is unwholesome, vague or inadequate. For example, a person can be easily influenced and get caught up with happenings at his place of work and with the actions and values of his colleagues. He follows the tide not knowing or not being clear about what is actually happening to him. But if he were to think through and analyse the situation carefully, he would realise that it is foolish of him to allow himself to be influenced in that manner.
We also falter because of our weaknesses. Very often, we do things that we know are not good for us or get involved in situations that will dishonour the Lord’s name, not because we are deceived or lack understanding, but because of our weaknesses. We can liken our failures to that of a drug addict who knows that drug-taking would destroy him but still continues with his drug-taking habit because of his weakness. When we carelessly allow ourselves to be tempted and we entertain the temptation, we will be weakened. If we continue to be careless and do not reject the temptation, after a period of time, it can become a compulsion that we find hard to resist.
Another cause of discontentment has to do with the quality of our faith and walk with God. We should reflect on the following questions:
It is easy to be distracted and drawn away by many things, thereby causing our fellowship with God to suffer. We then begin to do many things that we know are contrary to how life should be lived because our fellowship with God is no longer close and the spiritual reality about true fulfilment in the Lord Jesus Christ doesn't seem so real anymore.
It is helpful to consider the response of our Lord Jesus Christ recorded in Matthew 4. Let
us learn from Him the way to counter the strategy of the evil one who seeks to stir within
us the spirit of discontentment, and reject what he offers us. “Go, Satan!” - that was the
response of the Lord Jesus to Satan’s attack. This should also be the basic attitude of our
hearts. We have nothing to do with the evil one or whatever that comes from him. We must
always take the stand, “Go, Satan”. There is no truth in him and nothing good will come out
of him. So we should not entertain temptations that come from him nor allow him to deceive
us.
From the reply of the Lord Jesus to Satan, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every
word that proceeds out of the mouth of God”, we learn that our concentration should not be
on the material things of the world but on the word of God. Let us study, reflect upon and
absorb the truths and principles revealed in the Scriptures so that they become a part of
us. If our very being has been saturated with these truths and they are constantly present
in our consciousness, we will be able to counter the temptations and deceptions of the evil
one effectively.
The posture of the Lord Jesus is always to “worship God and serve Him only”. If we learn to
worship and serve God with all our heart, our relationship with Him will grow. In this way,
any area of lack in our faith and in the quality of our fellowship with God can be
corrected.
Let us pause and consider these questions:
If we hunger and thirst for God and His righteousness, we will have true satisfaction. True contentment and fulfilment and a life of stability are ours when we faithfully and humbly walk with God. Let us examine our hearts and ask ourselves whether our sole desire is to worship God and serve Him only, to walk in His ways in all humility, to reject all that comes from the evil one, whether they come through the things in the world or through the weaknesses of the flesh. If this is not our desire, and we instead long for things outside God’s will and provisions for us, then we will be vulnerable to attacks. Once there are wrongful desires within us, we will not only open ourselves to temptations, but will also easily fall into temptation.
Although it is important that there is no unhealthy discontentment in our lives, there is
however such a thing as healthy discontentment. A wrong understanding of the meaning of
contentment can lead to lack of zeal and laid-back attitudes. How can we be earnest and
strive for success as a Christian and at the same time be contented?
As healthy Christians, we should be zealous and earnest, striving to grow in the Lord and
to develop and to use all our faculties to the best that we can as the Lord leads and
enables. In this context, there is a proper sense of not being satisfied with what we have
attained. It is important that we do not become complacent, but rather we must continue to
press on earnestly according to God’s high calling for us in Christ Jesus, just as Paul
testified about his own life in Philippians 3:12-14.
Philippians 3:12-14
12 Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so
that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.
13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do:
forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,
14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ
Jesus.
But as we strive to develop ourselves spiritually, we do it with a deep sense of gratitude and contentment with whatever God sees fit to provide for us, whether it is in the material aspects or in terms of spiritual gifts. This also means that we do not reach out for what God does not intend for us even though they appear attractive or even if they relate to spiritual areas. For example, in our service in the body of Christ, we do not covet positions and things that are not in His will for us. There should be no personal desires or ambitions that are outside of God’s will, even in spiritual areas.
The Lord teaches us to profit from what is good for us, and it is He who leads us in the way we should go.
Isaiah 48:17-18
17 Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel,
"I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit,
Who leads you in the way you should go.
18 "If only you had paid attention to My commandments!
Then your well-being would have been like a river,
And your righteousness like the waves of the sea.
The Lord tells us that if we pay attention to His commandments and faithfully abide by all
that He has revealed, then our well-being will be like a river and our righteousness like
the waves of the sea. Righteous living is closely linked to a life of well-being and true
abundance. It is not the abundance that the world talks about, but true abundance according
to the assurances and promises of the Lord.
True contentment is in God and in the framework within which He desires us to work out our
lives. It does not come from or through things or circumstances. This is an important
point that many people, including believers, fail to grasp. They think that their lives are
in a terrible state because of their difficult circumstances. They believe they will
experience contentment if their circumstances change for the better. If we think in this
way, we need to correct our thinking.
If our contentment lies in circumstances and things, it is superficial and can be easily
threatened. Life’s situations are dynamic and ever-changing. If we place our happiness on
the ever-changing things and situations, our lives will always be unstable.
True contentment is unshakable because it is grounded on the Rock, the unchanging God. We
will always be contented because in the Lord, we not only find all the spiritual
nourishment that we need but also joy, fellowship and peace in Him.
True contentment does not come about by our mere wishing or crying out to God, “God! I want
true contentment. Let it be my experience.” It has to do with the way we live our lives and
the moral and spiritual longings of our hearts. And when we enter into deep fellowship with
God, we will be stable, not easily shaken and truly contented.
Copyright
The content of this message is protected by Copyright © 2001 - 2012 Lim Kou.
Permission is given to print and reproduce part (where the meaning
intended is retained and the part is not quoted out of context) or all
the content, for personal use or for distribution, on condition that
there is proper acknowledgement, no changes are made and the content
distributed free of charge. Please be prayerful and discreet in
distributing or making the content available to others. This paragraph
and that below should be included in any and all content reproduced for
distribution.
Scripture Quotations
Scripture quotations unless otherwise stated, are taken from the NEW
AMERICAN STANDARD Bible ®,
1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by
permission.
Two Temptation Scenes > Temptations of the evil one >
Major areas that can go wrong
previous < message 2TS04 > next
