How do you deal with disappointment as a Christian? Are your expectations spiritual or natural? Discover the secret of contentment and how to face disappointment without getting disappointed in this must-watch sermon from Brother Chris during a recent God's Heart TV Partner Meeting.
"If material things are a measure by which we define success, progress, growth, prosperity - you will continue to compare yourself to a standard you can never attain. You will continue to compete for a prize that you can never gain. And you will continue to complain about things you can never obtain." - Brother Chris
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"If material things are a measure by which we define success, progress, growth, prosperity - you will continue to compare yourself to a standard you can never attain. You will continue to compete for a prize that you can never gain. And you will continue to complain about things you can never obtain." - Brother Chris
If God has prompted your heart to join God's Heart TV as a partner, you can do so here - https://godsheart.tv/partnership/
➡️ Receive Daily Encouragement on WhatsApp - https://godsheart.tv/whatsapp/
➡️ Support God's Heart TV financially - https://godsheart.tv/financial/
➡️ Information about Interactive Prayer - https://godsheart.tv/interactive-prayer/
➡️ Volunteer as a God's Heart TV Translator - https://godsheart.tv/translate/
➡️ Share your testimony - https://godsheart.tv/testimony
➡️ Join our Live Prayer Service on the first Saturday of every month - https://www.youtube.com/godshearttv/live
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TVTranscript
00:00I'm not saying people will not disappoint you.
00:03I'm not saying that circumstances will not disappoint you.
00:06But as Christians, we should not be disappointed.
00:09Because our expectations are not material.
00:12Our expectations are spiritual.
00:14And God will never let us down.
00:17Disappointment does not belong in the vocabulary of the spiritually minded.
00:23Grace and peace to you all people of God.
00:29In the wonderful, wonderful name of Jesus Christ.
00:34Let us begin this time together in a moment of prayer.
00:40Because we know we need God's mercy and favor in each and every step we take.
00:48So let us pray together right now.
00:51Lord Jesus Christ.
00:55We thank you for your divine mercy and favor.
01:02Son of David, have mercy on us.
01:07Let your mercy and favor speak for us in every part of this meeting today.
01:16Lord Jesus, open our hearts to receive your word.
01:23To receive revelation from your spirit.
01:31And give us the grace to walk, act, move in the light of your holy word.
01:41In Jesus' mighty name we pray.
01:46And the people of God said, Amen.
01:52Amen, Amen, Amen.
01:54Wow.
01:55Once again, everyone, I want to greet you in the name of Jesus Christ.
02:00Welcome.
02:01Welcome, welcome to this first partner meeting here at the new God's Heart TV studio.
02:10I want to talk today in this word of encouragement about a spiritual principle.
02:18And I was reflecting on this particularly after I had a phone call with someone, a word of counsel.
02:29And the person concerned is someone who by the grace of God has been supporting the ministry of God's Heart TV
02:37from a financial perspective.
02:39She's been giving as God put in her heart.
02:42But was going through some particular hard times in her workplace.
02:51And when I was speaking to her, it was clear that there was a disappointment in her tone.
03:01And she said this, she said,
03:02I don't understand why this is happening to me when I'm supporting God's work.
03:10When I'm doing this, I'm doing the right thing.
03:12But why is this happening to me?
03:15And I think this is a very common thing.
03:17A very common problem people fall into today.
03:21Not just in terms of giving to support the ministry,
03:24but even in terms of any spiritual service,
03:26whether it's I've prayed, I've prayed, I've prayed and yet I'm facing this.
03:30Why? Or I invest my time in volunteering for God's projects.
03:36I support the less privileged.
03:38I do this.
03:39I do that.
03:40And yet when a circumstance that doesn't meet my expectation unfolds,
03:45I get disappointed.
03:47Why is this happening?
03:48Because I'm doing A for God.
03:51So why is B manifesting in my life?
03:53I think it's a very common issue.
03:57And I want to warn us today about the danger of this.
04:03Because look, if the devil cannot prevent your exposure to the truth,
04:12he will attempt to twist it.
04:16To try and deceive you to misinterpret it.
04:23Think about that.
04:25The devil wants us to misinterpret spiritual things in a natural manner.
04:37You know in the gospels of our Lord Jesus Christ,
04:40many times you saw how our Lord Jesus rebuked his disciples
04:46because they had natural interpretation of spiritual instruction.
04:54Jesus Christ would give them an instruction or tell them something
04:57and within themselves they would reason about it
04:59and conclude that it meant something natural.
05:02Whereas Jesus was referring to something spiritual.
05:06This is a very easy trap to fall into.
05:14Where we misinterpret a spiritual principle through our material mindsets.
05:26And I remember I was speaking to this lady
05:30and there were two points of concern with what she said
05:34and I want to share with everyone what I said to her
05:37because it's a lesson, it's a lesson, it's a lesson.
05:40I told this lady that the first thing blocking your blessing is your definition of it.
05:51Because she had already internally associated blessing from God
06:01with something measured materially.
06:06Material.
06:09It's like we use worldly yardsticks to measure spiritual things, godly things.
06:19It's a trap.
06:21If I was to ask everyone today,
06:23okay, people of God, how do we define success?
06:27How do we define blessing?
06:28How do we define progress?
06:30It's very common for people to immediately link such words to material things.
06:38Okay, well this person is successful because they have financial resources
06:43or this person is successful because of their position in society
06:48or their status or their stature.
06:51It's very common for us today to link such things with material things.
06:57Now, let me be clear.
07:01I'm not saying that such things cannot be a sign of success.
07:07They certainly can be.
07:09But, remember we are in the world, we are not part of them.
07:13We should not use worldly definitions for spiritual things.
07:18God is spirit.
07:23His reward for his children is primarily spiritual.
07:31Something that cannot be measured materially.
07:35Something that cannot be discerned naturally.
07:40If we use material measurements to define success,
07:44tell me which of the apostles in the Bible would be considered a successful person?
07:50The disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ.
07:52Pillars of faith.
07:53Heroes of faith.
07:54God's generals.
07:56If we use material measurements to determine the value of success,
08:02how many of them would be classed as successful?
08:06When many of them in the natural had nothing material to boast of
08:13and even we know how many of them ended their life,
08:18martyred for their faith.
08:21It's just today when we thank God for the holy record.
08:26The word of God.
08:27We can look back at their lives and learn from their lives.
08:31But at that moment when they were given their oaths for Christ,
08:34I think many people would not look at their lives and say,
08:37well, this is a successful person.
08:39This is a blessed person.
08:40This is a prosperous person.
08:42If you use material measurements.
08:45So, going back to my points.
08:49The problem with what that lady expressed to me.
08:53Why am I facing this after I'm doing this for God?
08:56Is first of all, you are defining blessing from a carnal perspective.
09:03Okay.
09:05Blessing means that at my workplace, there's material fruitfulness.
09:09That was the definition.
09:12The way God sees things is different from the way man sees things.
09:20Secondly, we must be careful not to fall into the trap
09:26of placing material expectations on spiritual investments.
09:36Sowing to the spirits and expecting visible material manifestation.
09:45Please, I want to repeat.
09:47I'm not saying that they cannot come.
09:50I'm not saying it is not a sign of God's blessing.
09:54I'm not saying that, look, if you follow godly principles,
09:58even in your work, your career, financial management,
10:02those godly principles will pave the way for material prosperity.
10:08But, that should not be our focus.
10:15That should not be the center of our expectations.
10:22I repeat, God is spirits.
10:29The scriptures say,
10:30he is the rewarder of those who diligently seek him.
10:41But we don't have the rights to determine
10:49the way in which that reward manifests.
10:55A lot of people engage in spiritual activities,
11:00spiritual assignments,
11:02and internally have placed a material expectation on them.
11:06And what happens?
11:08If the material expectation is not met,
11:13they get disappointed.
11:18This is what I want to speak about today.
11:21Facing disappointments without being disappointed.
11:27I'm not saying people will not disappoint you.
11:30I'm not saying that circumstances will not disappoint you.
11:33But as Christians, we should not be disappointed.
11:36Because our expectations are not material,
11:39our expectations are spiritual,
11:40and God will never let us down.
11:45Disappointment does not belong in the vocabulary of the spiritually minded.
11:50I want to read a scripture to you.
11:531 Corinthians chapter 2,
11:55and let me read from verse 12 to verse 14.
12:01Now, we have received not the spirits of the world,
12:10but the spirits who is from God,
12:16that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
12:25I like that statement.
12:28These things we also speak,
12:30not in words which man's wisdom teaches,
12:34but which the Holy Spirit teaches,
12:37comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
12:42But the natural man,
12:46the natural man,
12:49does not receive the things of the spirits of God,
12:55for they are foolishness to him.
13:02Nor can he know them,
13:04because they are spiritually discerned.
13:13We are often blind to our blessings,
13:20because of carnal considerations.
13:25We don't know what we have spiritually,
13:31because we focus on what we don't have materially.
13:39We don't know.
13:40We are ignorant of what we have.
13:44Look at what the scripture says here.
13:47That we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
13:53Many of us don't identify the extent of our spiritual blessings,
13:59because our hearts are set on the things of this world.
14:07And because we lack spiritual discernment,
14:12we are robbed of contentment.
14:15This is a point of reflection.
14:19The presence of disappointments reveals the absence of contentment.
14:29I'm not saying people will not disappoint you.
14:33I'm not saying that situations will not disappoint you.
14:36But you will not be disappointed,
14:39because you don't look at things through the lens of material things,
14:44but spiritual.
14:47There are three enemies of contentment I want you to be careful of.
14:51Number one, comparing.
14:54Number two, competing.
14:56Number three, complaining.
14:59Enemies of contentment.
15:01If you talk of spiritual blessings
15:04that cannot be discerned by material eyes or measured by material things,
15:08spiritual blessings,
15:10contentment is a gift from God.
15:15To be content.
15:19But there are enemies of contentment.
15:22And these symptoms, comparing yourself with others,
15:28competing, you know, running a race in the natural,
15:31complaining about what we don't have.
15:35These are symptoms of a sick heart.
15:38Because disappointment is the sickness of the heart.
15:42It comes as a consequence of shifting our focus,
15:49shifting our attention,
15:51shifting our interest from the things of the spirits
15:55to the things of the flesh.
15:58That's what the devil wants to do.
16:01He's very cunning, crafty.
16:03He looks for any opportunity.
16:05Try and shift your focus, shift your attention,
16:08shift your interest from the things of the spirits
16:12to the things of the flesh.
16:15But look,
16:18life is a learning experience.
16:25If material things are a measure
16:29by which we define success, define progress, define growth,
16:33define prosperity, just name it.
16:35If material things are a measure,
16:38Let me tell you people of God.
16:42You will continue to compare yourself
16:46to a standard you can never attain.
16:50You will continue to compete for a prize
16:54that you can never gain.
16:57And you will continue to complain
17:00about things you can never obtain.
17:05It's an endless cycle.
17:07If you're talking of material things being a measure,
17:11if that's a measure that we use to determine
17:14what we are seeking in this world,
17:16you will never find a place of contentment.
17:18Because each step you take thinking you'll get there,
17:21will reveal another step that shows you haven't.
17:24It's just an endless cycle.
17:27Endless.
17:27It just goes on and on and on.
17:30These are things that rob us of contentment.
17:33We begin to compare ourselves with others.
17:36Do you know why comparison is so destructive, so deadly?
17:41Because your comparison is based on what is seen.
17:46It's based on material, not spiritual things.
17:49So, when you compare yourself with someone
17:53based on what is seen,
17:54you are wide open to deception.
17:56Because what is seen is often not the reality.
17:58We often compare based on performance, not truth.
18:02So, how someone presents themselves,
18:05how they look, how they show off themselves,
18:08these are the basis of comparison.
18:10But that's not the truth.
18:11That's not the reality.
18:13So, we're comparing ourselves to a standard
18:17that is unobtainable.
18:19And so we're never gonna be content.
18:21We open the door easily to disappointments.
18:25And this is a big problem.
18:28A big problem people face today.
18:30Big problem.
18:31Because I'm doing A for God,
18:35but I'm expecting it to manifest materially.
18:37When it doesn't in the way I expect,
18:40I get disappointed.
18:41But as Christians,
18:43we have to recognize,
18:47even though life is uncertain,
18:49God is sovereign.
18:51The uncertainties of life
18:54do not affect the sovereignty of God.
18:58He is good.
19:01He is in control.
19:04And whatever he permits us to face
19:07that may look like disappointment
19:09is unto our good.
19:12That's why we can face disappointments
19:14without being disappointed.
19:20A practical word of advice at this point.
19:24A lot of disappointments spring
19:27because of the expectations
19:28we place on others in relationships.
19:31And I think it's important to emphasize,
19:34it's reasonable to place an expectation on someone
19:38when you talk of a relationship.
19:39There has to be a basis of mutual trust,
19:42mutual love, mutual understanding
19:43that forms a framework
19:45that the relationship moves forward.
19:47There's nothing wrong with that.
19:48It's reasonable to place an expectation on someone.
19:51But it's very unreasonable
19:53to hold them to the same standard as God.
19:55The problem we have
19:57is that we place others on a pedestal
20:00that belongs to God alone.
20:02That is why we are disappointed
20:03when someone disappoints us.
20:05Because we have held them to a standard
20:08that should only be held to God.
20:11My hope is not in man's word.
20:13My hope is in God's word.
20:14My hope is not in man's promise.
20:16My hope is in God's promise.
20:18So if man promises,
20:20I expect them to fulfill.
20:21But if they don't,
20:23it will not derail me spiritually.
20:26I hope you follow what I'm saying people of God.
20:30Yes, we place an expectation on someone.
20:33Yes, I'm expecting you to do what is right.
20:36But ultimately I'm governed by the principle
20:38that I love everyone,
20:40but trust is reserved for God alone.
20:46If I place man's word on the same level as God's word,
20:53I can easily find myself falling into disappointment.
20:57And you know the danger of being disappointed
21:00is that you easily mishandle,
21:02mismanage your situation
21:04when your heart is in such a state.
21:06This is a problem.
21:11I just wanted to share this with you today
21:14because I think it's a very common trap,
21:17very common trap that we fall into.
21:20If care is not taken,
21:21where our focus is diverted
21:27and we can still be doing the right thing,
21:31the good thing,
21:34investing in our spiritual life,
21:36but then we begin to place a material expectation on that.
21:40And when the material expectation is not met,
21:42and we get disappointed,
21:43maybe it will dilute our commitment.
21:46You say, oh, well,
21:48I'm doing this for God and I'm facing this.
21:50So in that case,
21:52let me stop reading my Bible.
21:56Let me stop praying.
21:57Let me stop supporting the ministry
21:59because why am I facing this?
22:01That's the danger of being disappointed.
22:03It misleads you to take actions
22:05that now later affect your life negatively.
22:07So, this is my encouragement to you people of God,
22:11to conclude this short word.
22:14The more carnally minded you are,
22:20the less content you become.
22:24If you examine your life today,
22:27and you study these symptoms,
22:30complaining about what I don't have,
22:34comparing myself with others,
22:39competing, running a race in the natural.
22:42If you study these symptoms,
22:45check your heart.
22:48Check your heart.
22:51It takes spiritual discernment
22:54to recognize spiritual blessings.
22:58And those spiritual blessings
22:59cannot be measured materially.
23:03God is spirit.
23:06Don't fall into the trap
23:08of only placing material expectations
23:13on your spiritual service.
23:17I'm not saying God will not bless you materially.
23:20He is God.
23:21He knows what is good for you.
23:23If you can manage that,
23:24He will bless you with it.
23:25If you can be a good steward of it,
23:27He will equip you with it.
23:28But that is not the framework
23:33upon which we must build our lives.
23:37It's not, well, I'm materially prosperous,
23:40so God is backing me up.
23:42It's about spiritual prosperity.
23:46Relationship with God.
23:48And there are no shortcuts
23:51when it comes to relationship with God.
23:54The more sanctified we are by His spirit,
23:57the more satisfied we are in His presence.
24:01We need more of God.
24:03More of His word.
24:05Less of us.
24:08This is the encouragement for everyone.
24:11Today people of God.
24:12How to face disappointments
24:14without being disappointed.
24:16Okay.
24:17And I pray that this word has planted a seed
24:19that will continue to grow and grow
24:22as you water it with rightful focus and meditation.