00:00Material riches do not equal spiritual fulfillments.
00:06You can have people who are materially incredibly blessed
00:12and yet they are depressed to the same degree they are financially blessed.
00:18They don't have fulfillments
00:22because they are not using their resources in a manner that honors God
00:30or fulfills a spiritual purpose.
00:40Thank you very much.
00:43Brother Chris, I would say the message has been thought-provoking
00:48and it makes you think a lot even inside, like in your heart.
00:53My statement or comment or question is related to, you know,
00:57every day we set these standards where you say,
01:00if I do this, maybe if I just have this,
01:04then everything will be fine, like you've put it.
01:07And that is like on a daily basis,
01:09even personally, career-wise, you go like,
01:13if I just get this job, then I think everything will be okay.
01:17But then you've said a statement that says
01:20you keep redrafting and changing, which is true.
01:25And you're saying satisfaction only comes in
01:28when you maintain your relationship with God.
01:32Then you get to have this.
01:34Maybe I just wanted you to try and expand a bit
01:37on this statement that satisfaction will come
01:42only when you have this relationship with God.
01:45Let's try and use a very practical example
01:49because everyone here recognizes that in the world
01:54we are living in, we need material resources
01:58to take care of the responsibilities we have.
02:02For example, a divine responsibility you have
02:06is the care of your home.
02:08When you work hard and the material resources,
02:16the finances, let's say, that come from your hard work
02:20are used to care for your family,
02:23you will be fulfilled because that's a divine assignment.
02:27That's unto your relationship with God.
02:30So the degree of fulfillment is connected
02:34to the degree of submission to divine purpose.
02:39If you use that same money for wasteful activities
02:45designed to entertain your flesh,
02:49they will never fulfill you
02:51because you are using them for a fleshly indulgence,
02:55not for a spiritual purpose.
02:57So when we talk about relationship with God
02:59and let's say money,
03:01it doesn't mean, oh, that means I stop working
03:04and I go and only pray and read my Bible all day
03:08or every bit of money that comes in,
03:10I give it to the church or I give it to the work of God.
03:14No, you must be a responsible steward
03:17of what God has given you.
03:19And if you are blessed with a family,
03:22you have a divine responsibility to care for your family
03:26and provide for them.
03:28And there is fulfillment and enrichment in doing so
03:32because it's a divine assignment.
03:34Now, there are many other ways
03:36in which you can manage your resources
03:39that can also be equally fulfilling.
03:41I believe everyone here is, by God's grace,
03:45a partner with this ministry here at God's Heart TV.
03:48You are using what God has given you
03:52to freely support a ministry like this.
03:57I know there are many other ministries
03:59that God may put in your heart to support as well.
04:02And we are one in the body of Christ.
04:03So that's good.
04:04But that is something that you are freely choosing
04:08to use the blessings, the resources that come your way
04:11for the purpose of supporting the work of God,
04:15engaging in God's projects.
04:17We must be real that there are material needs
04:20to fulfill these assignments,
04:22to travel for the glory of God.
04:24But there are people like all of us connected here
04:26who are freely using what God has given us
04:30from a material sense to support the work of God.
04:34That will bring you fulfillment.
04:38Because you are doing it for a spiritual purpose,
04:41for the glory of God.
04:44So if we say a threshold financially will be enough for us,
04:50oh, if I just get this amount,
04:51if I just get that amount,
04:53it's mistaking the money as being the source
04:56of the fulfillment.
04:57It's how you use the money that will bring fulfillment,
05:00not the money in itself.
05:01It's how you use position that will make it fulfilling,
05:05not the position you occupy.
05:07It's not where you live that brings fulfillment.
05:10It's how you live.
05:11So it's shifting the focus from an external thing,
05:16which will ever increasingly go up and up
05:20if we eventually meet it,
05:23to the reality that our relationship with God
05:26that has to do with our spirits, man,
05:29is where the fulfillment lies.
05:31And if we take care of our relationship with God,
05:34we will responsibly steward the things around us.
05:38And by so doing, they will be fulfilling.
05:41It's not a threshold you meet from a material level,
05:45like, oh, if you reach this position,
05:47then you will be fulfilled.
05:48Or if you get this amount, then it would be enough.
05:51It will never be enough.
05:53The richest people in the world today,
05:59let's put it like this.
06:02Material riches do not equal spiritual fulfillment.
06:08You can have people who are materially incredibly blessed
06:15and yet they are depressed
06:17to the same degree they are financially blessed.
06:22They don't have fulfillments
06:25because they are not using their resources
06:32in a manner that honors God
06:34or fulfills a spiritual purpose.
06:36So this is just a reflection for everyone.
06:39If you use what you have, that's surrender.
06:43If I use what I have to freely give for God's glory,
06:47for God's purposes,
06:49it's in the process of doing that,
06:51that I'm fulfilled.
06:52Just take, for example,
06:53if you've ever been in a position
06:57whereby someone was in need
06:58and you are in a position to help them,
07:01whether it's through finances,
07:03whether it's through maybe just words of encouragement,
07:06if someone's down,
07:07or maybe it's just going to meet someone,
07:10giving some time with them.
07:12Just examine yourself.
07:15The fulfillment that comes from genuinely helping someone
07:19is far greater than from whatever you have done
07:22for the purpose of enjoying yourself.
07:26Everyone connected, you can examine yourself.
07:29Oh, I bought something very nice for me.
07:33You may enjoy it.
07:34Yes, I took this for myself.
07:37You may enjoy it.
07:38But when you do something for someone else,
07:40think about the fulfillment that comes from that,
07:42the joy, the peace that comes from that.
07:46Because you're doing it for a spiritual reason.
07:49Of course, there's discretion and wisdom in this.
07:52We can take care of ourselves.
07:53I'm not saying to neglect yourself.
07:55I'm just using that simple analogy
07:58for everyone connected.
08:01If you do something for the purpose of helping someone,
08:05genuinely, not with a condition attached,
08:08not begrudgingly,
08:10not with an expectation of them helping you back in return.
08:13If you give to someone genuinely,
08:17the joy, the fulfillment that comes from that
08:20is greater than anything you may get for yourself
08:24on a material sense.
08:27And that's just a small example
08:31of our relationship with God being enough.
08:34Because it's an overflow of our relationship with God
08:38by which we help others
08:39or by which we care for others
08:41or we give to others.
08:43So, brother, I could give you many examples.
08:46I tried to use something practical
08:48from the financial side that we can all relate to.
08:51It's not the money that brings fulfillment.
08:54It's the management of that money.
08:56If you manage it in a way,
08:58if you steward it in a way
08:59that honors God and follows godly principles,
09:02that's where the fulfillment comes.
09:04And don't be surprised if you steward responsibly
09:07what God has given you,
09:09it will increase.
09:11Because God sees you are being a diligent user
09:15of what he has blessed you with.
09:17So, that's why there can be great material
09:20and financial increase
09:21for those who are responsible stewards of it.
09:23But the fulfillment does not come from the increase.
09:26The fulfillment comes from the management
09:35If we fast from imitation
09:37or we fast by convention,
09:40are we fasting or is it just a hunger strike?
09:44If it's a hunger strike,
09:46then yes, our body is going to be disturbed
09:49or our mind will be disturbed
09:50when we're supposed to be engaging it
09:52in another assignment.
09:53How do you list your destiny?
10:01How do you live?
10:02Hamming.
10:03I am a Tao Vision
