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Are you chasing 'success' but still feeling empty inside? The world tells us that the more you get, the more fulfilled you are - but that’s a lie. The truth is, no treasure in this world can rescue a troubled heart. Learn how to stop comparing, stop pretending, and start living with contentment, gratitude, and godly purpose in this message titled, 'Stop Feeding Fantasy'.
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To join the next Interactive Prayer Service with Brother Chris through Zoom, simply submit your prayer request here - https://www.godsheart.tv/zoom - and the God's Heart TV Team will be in touch with you soon via email at info@godsheart.tv
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00:00Don't wait until your hairs become gray before you realize this.
00:08Don't let your head rest on the grave before you realize this.
00:15Life will not stop to sympathize with your diversion from its purpose.
00:22Time will not wait for you to get back on the right track.
00:30Thank you, Jesus.
00:44Wow.
00:45Grace and peace to you all, precious children of God.
00:53But to begin the message for today, I want us to take a moment and pray together.
01:01Let's pray right now.
01:03Lord Jesus Christ,
01:05We thank you for your presence in our midst.
01:16We thank you, O Lord, for your purpose in our lives.
01:27We thank you, O Lord, for your peace in our hearts.
01:39Lord Jesus Christ, let the light of your word shine bright in our hearts today.
01:55To bring instruction, direction, and revelation to our daily lives.
02:08In Jesus' mighty name we pray.
02:15And the people of God said, Amen.
02:20Over the last couple of weeks, I have been taking some time to really read, or let me say study, the book of Proverbs.
02:31And I want to encourage you all.
02:34Wow.
02:36Proverbs contains so much practical wisdom for our daily lives.
02:43I encourage you, people of God, take the time to go through this book.
02:49Wow.
02:50There is a lot to learn from these words of wisdom.
02:56It deals with every aspect of life.
03:00A couple of days ago, there was two verses I read that really struck my heart.
03:09I said, wow, the wisdom contained in these two verses is profound.
03:14And this is going to form the basis of the message I want to bring to you today.
03:20This is going to be the proof text.
03:22So please, turn with me in your Bibles.
03:25Turn with me to the book of Proverbs, chapter 15.
03:30And we're going to read verses 16 and 17.
03:37Better is a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure with trouble.
03:55Ponder on that.
03:58Verse 17.
04:00Better is a dinner of herbs where love is than a fatted calf with hatred.
04:14Let me emphasize something.
04:18The person writing this is someone who has tasted the fatted calf
04:25and possessed great treasures.
04:30We are talking of King Solomon.
04:34So what he is writing there is not mere speculation about life.
04:44It is proper reflection on life.
04:50He is not writing from imagination, but from experience.
04:55Let's read it together again.
04:58Think about this.
05:00In the light of your own life.
05:04Better is a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure with trouble.
05:17Better is a dinner of herbs where love is than a fatted calf with hatred.
05:28This is the wisdom of God.
05:28This is the wisdom of God.
05:32And it contradicts the so-called wisdom of this world.
05:41We live in a world where most people today are pursuing the treasures of this world.
05:57You can insert numerous things into that word treasure.
06:04You can insert numerous things into that word treasure.
06:05Money.
06:07Position.
06:10Possessions.
06:12Fame.
06:13Influence.
06:15Popularity.
06:16We live in a world where the majority of people are pursuing the treasures of this world.
06:32They see the fatted calf as a sign of fulfillment.
06:38You know, when we talk about a fatted calf here, we are talking about someone who has more than enough.
06:47They are able to eat something that is in abundance.
06:54Luxury.
06:55The world today sees that as a sign of fulfillment, success.
07:01Yes, but the Bible reverses the order.
07:08Better is a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure with trouble.
07:21Let's quickly turn to the words of Jesus Christ in the New Testament.
07:27Luke chapter 12, he echoes the same principle.
07:34Luke chapter 12, verse 15.
07:36Please turn there.
07:37And Jesus said to them,
07:41Take heed and beware of covetousness.
07:48For one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.
08:02Take heed.
08:05Beware of covetousness.
08:08You know what it means to covet?
08:10To want or desire something that belongs to someone else.
08:21Comparison fuels covetousness.
08:26And that robs you of contentment.
08:28I'm going to share a very practical message today.
08:39Which I pray enters deep into your hearts.
08:44And I'm simply going to title it this.
08:48Stop feeding fantasy.
08:56I'll say it again.
09:02Stop feeding fantasy.
09:08It is fantasy to believe that life consists in the abundance of one's possessions.
09:21It is fantasy to think that treasure can deliver you from trouble.
09:32No amount of treasure can rescue a troubled heart.
09:40It is fantasy to believe that treasures of this world can rescue or deliver a troubled heart.
09:58Take a moment right now and sincerely examine yourself on a day-to-day basis.
10:13What's what drives your decisions?
10:20What motivates your movements?
10:25What prompts your priorities?
10:29Is it the treasures of the world?
10:37Because in this journey of life, you will inevitably end up taking sacrificial decisions in reference to what you prioritize.
11:00I put it to you again.
11:07Is it the fear of the Lord that drives you?
11:16Wake up in the morning.
11:19Or is it the treasures of the world?
11:25The pursuit of money.
11:28Position.
11:30Popularity.
11:33Fame.
11:36Influence.
11:37Power.
11:40From the world's perspective.
11:43As Christians.
11:46Yes.
11:48We live in the world.
11:51We are not meant to look like the world.
11:54We are to live in the world without the world living in us.
12:03How, people of God, can you make a difference in the world if you are driven by the things of this world?
12:15The driving force of the world is purpose.
12:23The driving force of a Christian is purpose.
12:30Think about that, people of God.
12:31Think about that, people of God.
12:34Think about that.
12:36The world's driving force is profits.
12:41What I can make, what I can make, what I can take, what I can gain, what I can get.
12:51A believer's driving force is purpose.
12:55What you are born for, what you are created for.
13:01The reason I'm emphasizing this message and calling you to reflect on your life, people of God,
13:16is because many people today say they are believers.
13:26But if you look at their life, they are prioritizing the pursuit of profit, not the pursuit of purpose.
13:40Remember what Solomon said in that wise word.
13:45People of God, people of God, without the fear of the Lord, if you seek treasure, you will find trouble.
13:59I will rephrase it like this.
14:03If you live for treasure, you will end up living in trouble.
14:15If you live for pleasure, you will end up living in pain.
14:26Yes, you may master the art of masking that pain.
14:35But no matter how loud you beat the drums of distraction,
14:51it cannot numb the pain of frustration.
14:56It will not make you better.
15:03You will only become better at hiding it, at disguising it.
15:09And the better your disguise in public, the more bitter your demise in private.
15:19What I'm saying contradicts the philosophy of this world.
15:29But that is what Solomon said.
15:31It is better to have little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure, money, position, possessions,
15:46material acquisitions, houses, cars with trouble.
15:51Because no amount of treasure can rescue a troubled heart.
16:03What can you do with treasure?
16:05What can you do with the prophets of this world?
16:09You can use it to distract yourself.
16:12That is what happens to so many people today.
16:17They use the prophets of this world to purchase things, to entertain them,
16:27to distract them from reality and eternity.
16:32These are two things the devil wants to disengage us from.
16:43From reality and from eternity.
16:49People of God, as I said, what I'm saying contradicts what the world projects,
16:58what the world promotes, the lie of the world is that
17:03the more you get, the more fulfilled you are.
17:11That is fantasy.
17:15The reality is that without Christ, the more you get, the more you want.
17:24The more the opportunity to get, the more the possibility for regrets.
17:36The world tries to disguise this.
17:44That is why I always advise people, be careful of who you idolize.
17:51Be careful of who you celebrate.
17:54Be careful of who you look up to.
17:58Don't be prompts to celebrate the success if you do not know the process.
18:10Lest you end up feeding fantasy.
18:15The lie of the world is the more you get, the more fulfilled you are.
18:23The reality is the more you get, the more frustrated you become.
18:28Because what you get that you think will fulfill you will only end up raising the bar higher.
18:43This is the world for you.
18:45If material things form the basis of this race you are running in the world,
19:05you will never be content because that race has no destination.
19:13It has no finishing line.
19:15The closer you get, the closer you get, the farther you are.
19:23Without Christ, without the fear of the Lord.
19:27You are running a race based on profits, not purpose.
19:39You will end up comparing yourself to a standard you cannot attain.
19:46Competing for a prize you cannot obtain and complaining about things you would never be able to maintain.
19:56Stop feeding fantasy.
20:02I want to turn to another scripture in 1st Timothy chapter 6.
20:11Let's read this together, people of God.
20:161st Timothy chapter 6.
20:19I will read from verse 6 to 10.
20:23Now, Godliness with contentment is great gain.
20:36For we brought nothing into this world and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
20:44And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.
20:51But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish and harmful lusts.
21:12Which drown men in destruction and perdition for the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.
21:26For which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
21:39Because, remember what I said, people of God, the tactics of the devil to disconnect us from eternity and reality.
21:50For we brought nothing into this world and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
22:02The devil wants to disconnect your mind, disconnect your heart, disconnect your focus from the reality, the truth and from eternity.
22:17One of the ways he does this, he uses the unknown to paint a lie within your mind.
22:33If only, if only, if only I had this money, I would be fulfilled.
22:45If only that business had worked, then I would have made it.
22:53If only I can travel to that country, I will prosper.
23:00If only, if only I could get this, I could get that.
23:08Satan wants you to focus on what you do not have.
23:15To lull you into that deceptive fantasy that if only you had it, you would be fulfilled.
23:22What happens as a consequence of this, many people go through their lives pursuing a fantasy that leads them down the road of frustration.
23:41If only I could get this, if only I could get this, if only, whereas the reality is, if you are not satisfied without it, you will not be satisfied with it.
23:58That's the truth.
24:00I will say it again.
24:03The truth, people of God, is that if you are not satisfied without it, if you are not content without it, you will not be content with it.
24:16You will not be fulfilled with it.
24:19But people are busy chasing the dream, not realizing they are in a nightmare.
24:30If I get this amount of money, I will make it.
24:34By the time you get that amount of money, the bar is raised higher.
24:38Many people do not even get to have the opportunity of experiencing that amount of money before their life ends.
24:46Rather than living in contentment to make use of what is in their hands, they live in frustration based on this fantasy projected by the world.
25:04This pursuit of the treasures of this world.
25:09This prioritizing the treasures of this world profits.
25:15How much can I make?
25:17How much can I get?
25:19How much can I gain?
25:21How much can I take?
25:24It's fantasy.
25:26People of God, you know I titled this message, Stop Feeding Fantasy.
25:34I want us to talk to ourselves.
25:41Let's strike one of the roots of this problem.
25:45We are living in a culture of comparison.
25:50And to make things worse, the internet, social media has broadened our comparison to a global scale.
26:06It's not just you comparing yourself with people in your school or in your community or in your church.
26:17Now people compare themselves with someone you see online in a different country, a different culture, a different background.
26:30Comparison has robbed us of contentment.
26:36You know the danger of this, people of God?
26:42You compare yourself to people you do not know personally.
26:48You are comparing yourself to what they project, which is often pretentious and performative.
27:00You can just go online and see someone, what they are flaunting, flaunting material things.
27:10You don't even know if they own them.
27:13You don't even know the process they use to get them.
27:16And you compare yourself, you are feeding fantasy.
27:23You can see someone take a picture outside of a beautiful car.
27:27How do you know they are the owner of that car?
27:30You compare yourself to someone who looks so beautiful.
27:39Is that real or is that Photoshop?
27:43People of God, I said we need to talk to ourselves.
27:47Because why are some of us falling into this trap of prioritizing the pursuits of the treasures of this world?
27:57Because we are feeding that fantasy that the more I get, the more I would be fulfilled.
28:07The more I get, the more I gain.
28:12Oftentimes, what feeds this fantasy is what we are giving our attention to.
28:19That's why I said the danger of this culture of comparison is no more just limited to your social circles.
28:28It's bad enough to compare yourself to people around you.
28:31Now we compare ourselves to the whole world.
28:36There is no limit to who we can compare ourselves to.
28:39You can go online and look at the life of someone.
28:43You will never know that person personally.
28:46And just by what you see, by what they showcase, by what they project,
28:52you are feeding that fantasy.
29:00Can I say something else, people of God?
29:05Stop feeding fantasy.
29:07Not only that, stop fueling fantasy.
29:11Maybe there are some of us connected right now who are doing the very same thing.
29:21Projecting an image of themselves to the world that is not the reality.
29:26Look, I am not saying don't use social media.
29:30I am telling you, use social media to promote your faith, not to promote a fantasy.
29:37Use social media to encourage discipline, not delusion.
29:46We put something on the internet about ourselves.
29:50That is not the true situation we are in.
29:56We are fueling fantasy just as we are feeding fantasy.
30:00We project something about ourselves that is not the reality.
30:08Or we project material things as if that is the source of our contentment.
30:16No!
30:20Remember the words of Solomon.
30:22Solomon better is a little with the fear of the Lord and great treasure with trouble.
30:34Look, I want to emphasize something.
30:39I'm not here to try and say we should have a mindset of poverty or little or lack.
30:51No!
30:51We should not just expect little or accept poverty as part of our life.
31:00What I'm telling you today is not about little or lots.
31:07It's about the fear of the Lord.
31:10It's possible to eat fatted calf with love.
31:19It's possible to possess great treasures with the fear of the Lord.
31:26It's possible.
31:27I'm not here to say that in the course of your service to God and obeying the principles of the Bible,
31:39God cannot bless you with the treasures of this world.
31:42I'm saying that should not be your priority.
31:47That should not be your focus.
31:50You should not live your life thinking that if I could just get this, if I could just get that,
31:57if I can just go there, if I can just go here, it would somehow magically bring fulfillment.
32:06Nothing can satisfy you outside of God.
32:10No treasure can rescue a troubled heart.
32:16Only God can.
32:20We should prioritize living a life in the fear of the Lord.
32:29Letting love lead in the process of that journey.
32:36Yes, God can bless us.
32:43But the most effective way to manage treasure is to not treasure it in your heart.
32:52I'll say it again.
32:55To manage treasure, do not treasure it in your heart.
33:00Do not let gold become your God.
33:03If gold becomes your God's, then greed will infiltrate your goals.
33:17You'll start living for profits rather than living for purpose.
33:25If gold becomes your God, money, material things, money.
33:33Money is a tool to fulfill purpose.
33:40If you know that, if you know money, material things, they are a tool to fulfill purpose.
33:51If you know that, your spirit would not be disturbed by the loss of it or the lack of it.
33:58Let me read something to you from the psalms.
34:02Turn with me to Psalm 62, verse 10.
34:09It says this,
34:10Do not trust in oppression, nor vainly hope in a robbery.
34:16If riches increase, do not set your hearts on them.
34:26People of God, this unhealthy focus on what we do not have.
34:37This unhealthy focus on what others have stops us appreciating what we do have.
34:49If you are content with what you have, you will use it wisely.
34:59By using it wisely, using what is in your hands wisely.
35:06Don't be surprised it grows.
35:08Don't be surprised it increases.
35:11Don't be surprised it prospers.
35:13But we are too busy feeding that fantasy that we don't appreciate what we have in our hands.
35:30Oh, the world today.
35:33There is so much what the world calls depression, depression, depression.
35:43Why are people so depressed?
35:47Because they are too busy thinking of what they do not have.
35:53They are too busy thinking of what others have that they don't value what they have.
35:59People of God, I said this is a message, a practical message that calls for self-examination for all of us connected here today.
36:21What are we living for?
36:23What are we living for?
36:29Profit or purpose?
36:35Let me read another scripture to you as I bring this message to a close.
36:40Proverbs 28 verse 19 says this.
36:43He who kills, works his land will have plenty of bread.
36:52But he who follows fantasy will have poverty enough.
37:01Oh, this is the danger of feeding fantasy.
37:08Rather than working hard with what is in your hands.
37:13You are busy comparing yourself or coveting what others have.
37:20And you don't wisely use what you have.
37:25We are living for something that leaves us unfulfilled.
37:32And will leave us at six feet.
37:36Material gain cannot actually fulfill you and will not follow you to eternity.
37:45God knows your needs.
37:49If you work hard, not only will he meet them, he will prosper you.
37:54But those material treasures are tools to fulfill spiritual purpose.
38:04Don't think fulfillment will come through them.
38:07Don't think the abundance of them equals success.
38:13That's a lie of the world.
38:15It's a lie.
38:17It's a fantasy.
38:19Don't wait until your hairs become gray before you realize this.
38:29Young people, don't waste your youth before you realize this.
38:37For some people, they have pursued fantasy until the grave.
38:50Don't let that happen to you.
38:54Don't let your hairs become gray before you realize this.
38:58Don't let your head rest on the grave before you realize this.
39:05Time is as short as it is precious.
39:12Life will not stop to sympathize with your diversion from its purpose.
39:20Time will not wait for you to get back on the right track.
39:28Now is the time to use what is in your hands to fulfill your purpose, not just to seek profit.
39:50Better is a little with the fear of the Lord and great treasure with trouble.
40:07Better is a dish of herbs, a humble meal with love than a fatted calf.
40:18The most expensive, luxurious meal with hatred.
40:26May God bless his word in our hearts.
40:30And may God help us to stop feeding fantasy in our lives and stop fueling fantasy in the lives of others.
40:46In Jesus' mighty name.
40:48May God bless you.
40:49May God bless you.
40:50May God bless you.
40:51May God bless you.
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40:53May God bless you.
40:54May God bless you.
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41:15May God bless you.
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