The Keys to Contentment

I realized a few weeks ago that I was not content, that I had no contentment in my life. There was no reason to feel this way. I was here with the family of God doing what I was supposed to be doing, wasn’t I? Why then? Where was the contentment? It was not in the doing. It was a heart issue. I began to cry out for it, asking God fervently to give me contentment, and He did! He began to pour it into me. He gave me a vision of Him standing there with a watering can sprinkling contentment over me. I began to feel it. He heard my desperate cries. He never withholds any good thing from His children if we seek and ask with a humble heart! He wants to do that for His children today, give you Godly contentment, not worldly contentment that has no eternal value, but Godly contentment that is great gain.

So I began to seek and study it, asking the Holy Spirit to show me, to teach me…

Paul said, “I have LEARNED, in whatever state I am, to be content” (Philippians 4:11), so I knew that I could LEARN it, too.
And, in verse 12, He says, “I am instructed”…So, I knew that Holy Spirit would instruct me, too. So I said, “TEACH ME, LORD!” It was a glorious journey back to the heart of contentment! Today, I am going to share what He taught me so that you can be content, too:

First of all, contentment is a choice.

You have the power to be content.
~I have all POWER to be content.
We have all power over the enemy to take our thoughts and emotions captive to the Word of God and cast them down. Satan cannot touch us if we don’t let him.

You are the KEY!
~I am the KEY to my own contentment. 
God told me this loud and clear! I took this to heart and knew some changes had to be made. I wanted to unlock that door to my own contentment.

You have to see and believe.
~I had to SEE it and I had to BELIEVE it. YOU HAVE TO SEE IT!
I asked Him, “Why did I have such a hard time believing that I have all authority and power over the devil?” He said, “Because you have a victim mentality.” This really opened my eyes.

You are not a victim. 
It was a deliverance mindset change. Things may have happened to us that we have no control over, but we have ALL power and authority over our own thoughts and feelings and reactions, and when submitted to God, the devil WILL flee and the torments MUST stop. After a long struggle, the deliverance and breakthrough came…and it will for you today, too!

Satan does NOT want you to SEE it. He wants to torment you with familiar spirits and keep you thinking that you are a victim so he can control you. Don’t let him!

Meditating on this verse:

“Godliness with contentment is great gain…” 1 Timothy 6:6

1 Timothy 6:1-6, the keys to contentment. 
“Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honour, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed.
2And they that have believing masters, let them not despise them, because they are brethren; but rather do them service, because they are faithful and beloved, partakers of the benefit. These things teach and exhort.
3 If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness;
4 He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings,
5 Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.
6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.

THE KEYS TO CONTENTMENT
Verse 1. Honor your masters (bosses, husbands)
Honor means respect, esteem, think of as precious.

Verse 2. Honor believing masters (spiritual leaders, husbands) 
How? By loving them and serving them!

Verse 3. Consent to wholesome words (the Word and sound doctrine)

Verse 4. Stop, watch and guard against: 
~pride 
~questioning and arguing 
~envy (jealousy) 
~strife (fighting, contention, competition)
~railings (slander, injurious speech) 
~evil surmisings (suspicions, lies)

Verse 5: WITHDRAW YOURSELF FROM SUCH THINGS.
Perverse disputings are constant contentions. Contention is 
the opposite of contentment. 
contention = rivalry, competition, evil thoughts, slander

Verse 6. But godliness with contentment is great gain!

What is godliness? following after and seeking Him, holiness

What is contentment? (from Strong’s concordance)
~a perfect condition of life in which no aid or support is needed ~sufficiency of the necessities of life
~a mind contented with its lot

GREAT GAIN: is something to be sought after and acquired.

What do you want to GAIN? HIM, of course! He is the great gain!

Hebrews 13:5. “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”
~There is satisfaction in just knowing Him, who He is and what 
He has done for us!
~I take such comfort and contentment in the fact that HE”S 
going to do all this in us! 
~He is our deliverer!
~He is a shield for me; the glory and the lifter of my head!

Heed the Word of the Lord and find contentment.

Secondly, expectations were killing my contentment.

Expectations are contentment killers. 
…are what you think or want to happen. 
…are something you don’t really NEED, but you WANT it.
…are selfish and all about YOU.

We all have expectations that we put on God, ourselves, and others that will cause bitterness because they are unrealistic and can never be met. You are setting yourself up for failure. Expectations, therefore, will divide us from God and from each other.

We don’t need expectations but what we do need is:
To HOPE and have FAITH: Hope brings faith and faith will move mountains! 
To WAIT on the Lord.
To BE living sacrifices. 
To DIE for Him and each other.
To DO it His way, His will.

We need to KILL WILL and lay down every expectation, hope, and dream.

Every expectation that is MY WILL BE DONE must become HIS WILL BE DONE.

Ask forgiveness for every expectation that you have laid on others.
Ask them to forgive you.

We will let each other down, not willingly or on purpose. We must break every expectation off ourselves and each other.

Look at Eve. With the apple. She got discontented. Why? EXPECTATIONS! She began letting expectations and questions come into her heart. It’s supposed to be THIS way? What am I missing? Why am I left out? She was no longer satisfied to be in her place; she got jealous; she felt left out, suspicious, so, she railed against God. (1 Timothy 6:4) 
Eve had expectations NOW, not contentment, not commitment.

That’s what we do! And it kills our contentment. The expectations that we must have are for Him!

(Amplified) “I would have despaired, fainted, had I not believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD
In the land of the living.
Wait for and confidently expect the LORD;
Be strong and let your heart take courage;
Yes, wait for and confidently expect the LORD. Psalm 27: 13-14

Lastly, God is calling us into true contentment in His family.

Expectations are conditions, not unconditional love (which is what we are called to do, have unconditional love for one another in the family of God.)

Remember: Contentment was about needing nothing, no aid, no support.
Please don’t misunderstand; we DO NEED each other! But FREE of expectations and soul ties because God IS calling us to step up and meet each other’s needs even more.

Expectations have messed us up with people. Who is THAT person that you have expectations for? Then you do not love them unconditionally. Go to the threshing floor for or with that person and get your heart right because you are only hurting yourself and feeling isolated and miserable without them. Maybe you are missing your whole body or family due to pride, hurt and other conditions and so you are out there alone. He is showing me that many are. You are the KEY. Come back into your family and your contentment today.

God is saying:
It’s time to let the expectations and conditions go.
It’s time to stop being selfish.
It’s time to stop holding back from each other. 
It’s time to stop isolating yourself (You’re only hurting yourself.)
It’s time to FIGHT FOR each other not against each other (and Him).
It’s time for ALL walls and resistance to come down.

He said this: “I will no longer tolerate foolishness among you.” FOOLISHNESS!!! That’s a strong word.

“I applied mine heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and the reason of things, and to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and madness.” Ecclesiastes 7: 25

What is PURE and undefiled religion? It is to LOVE unconditionally the family that He has given us. He says to hold back from each other is to hold back from HIM.

I don’t want to hold myself back from anyone or for you to hold yourself back from me. We need what is inside of each other. This is the way of the Lord (the key) for the family, the Body. My friend said, “You have the key to my deliverance, and I have the key to yours.” So don’t hold back! Let’s pour into one another unconditionally and without intimidation. Let’s be there for each other even more. He will teach us!

Today, He is calling for a new level of commitment – which will lead to a new level contentment – which will lead to family the way (the key) that God intends it. Heed the call…for my sake as well as yours!

Love you in Him,
Elaine