The More Trap

 She was charging her life from every wrong source available — money, status, validation, and yes, Denzel on the wall. But nothing held. In this episode of The Truth Unpacked, Pastor Collington gets raw about the trap most people never talk about — the more trap. The endless cycle of chasing more and waking up just as empty as before. Romans 8:11 says there is a Source that never runs out. This episode shows you how to find it. 🔋 

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Transcript

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Most of us are not greedy people. We are not chasing that yet. We are just thinking, if we could just get that promotion, that job, if we could just get that relationship right, if we could just get into that house, then we can breathe. Then it would be okay. But the finish line never stops moving. And that's what we are going to unpack today. We are going to name that feeling. The Bible name it first. And it shows us our way out. Welcome. I am Serena Clonington and welcome to the truth unpack. Today we are going to talk about the Moore Trap. Think about all that time that you we work hard for things we want in life. We work hard for that house and then we finally get it. We have the job and the promotion. We are sitting in that ass. And then you're thinking this is it? That's it? This is where I'm supposed to be satisfied. But you know deep inside you don't feel satisfied. We are living in a $400 billion advertising era. Think about it. Amazon spent 40 million in 2004 billion in 2003 alone on advertisement. Not for you to know Amazon, but for you to keep strolling and keep adding to your card. This society that we live in today helps us to feel like contentment can only be rich when we get more. Just a little bit more. More money. Better relationship. And then we will be okay. But you know what? Just like you see on those Instagram stories, just as you see when those hats pop up in your social media feed telling you this is what you want, this is what you want, this is what you need. Here's the thing. That is actually a system, and we are lost inside of it. Where we need the feeling, where we need that more, where we feel like we cannot have enough. The finish line always keep moving. But hold on, we can't blame society completely. We have to understand what we are chasing after. But let me ask you is contentment even possible? If the line keeps moving, will we get there? Is it possible to get there? Or maybe contentment is just a word that Czech floaks talk about. A word that seem unreachable. What do you think? While you're thinking about it, let's just take a brief moment to pray before we read the Bible. Heavenly Father, I thank you for those who have joined me today. I thank you for those who are listening along and praying with me right now. May you hope in their hearts to receive the fullness of your love. May you grant us wisdom and discernment so that we can understand all that you are saying to us. May we hope in our heart to experience your love as we are praying for each other right now, and we are believing in the blessing that comes from you is overflow. May you anoint our head with oil, and may you prepare a table before us so that our enemy can see and know that you are our source of contentment and joy. Open our heart to feel that truth today, to receive a truth from you. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, I pray. Amen. Today we are going to unpack this into the book of Philippians chapter 4, and we are going to be reading from verses 11 to 13. Philippians chapter 4, verses 11 to 13. Alright? And I'm reading from the New Living's translation. So you can listen along with me, or you can grab your Bible and read it, Mr. That's the wonderful thing about it. But I'm going to first read verses 11 to 12, and it says here not that I have ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing. Oh, with everything. I have learned that the secret of living in every situation, whether it is but a full stomach or empty, with plenty or liquor. For I can do everything's true Christ, who gives me strength. That was a radical confession for Paul. But first let me give you a little background. While Paul is writing this, he's not in a comfort zone. He's not relaxing at home or he's not on the beach drinking coconut water. He's in prison. Chained to a guard. Yet he is writing about being content. Paul is actually in a situation that contentment seems impossible. How can you be content while you're sitting nailed, I mean chained to somebody? It's uncomfortable just for me to walk in a crowded room, much less the second be changed. But that's the secret. And that's what we are going to unpack today. So stay with me. And let's look at this first radical confession of Paul. He said, I have learned to be content with whatever my situation is. That right there is mind-blowing. Paul had to learn. It wasn't given to him, it wasn't instant. He didn't grow up content. He wasn't always content. He had to learn. He had to learn not just to be content whatever he has or wherever he is. It's a learning thing. That means the first thing is contentment is not about a personality trait. It's a discipline. So that whatever situation we are in, we can be content. But hold on. When Paul says, I have learned a secret, I want you to think back where Paul was during that time, where the Greek mystery is making everyone initiated and feel powerful and feel they know something nobody else knows. When Paul used that word secret, during that time it's something to be revealed. But guess what? Even today, it's still a secret. Yes, it's a secret that many believers have not figured out yet. But we are learning. Thank you. We are learning. Over time, we are going to notice how we go through some trial and error. And you've learned, like Paul, that God will take you through some things. He will take you through some trials. He will take things away from you so that you can learn that He is Yes, Suiz. What is something that God has taken from you for you to realize that your contentment is not based on that thing? Sometimes it's relationship. Sometimes it's the one thing that you feel that you need to survive on. God will take it away from you so that you can see. No, no, no. I am who you need to survive. Okay? But the powerful thing is Paul wanted us to realize that it's not about hustle. It's not just about how we discipline ourselves to be content. It's because contentment is not based on situation or things. It's based on a person. And Paul revealed who that person is in verses 13. He says it. He says, For I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength. Paul contentment is based on a person, Jesus Christ. Let's be honest for a minute here. We go to church and we plead this same verse. We memorize it or sometimes we even post it on social media. I can do all things to Christ who gives me strength. But do we truly live it? Because this verse is not saying that we need Christ to hustle with us through everything we do. This verse is saying that Christ can give us the strength, what we need to be content when we have a lot, or even when we have a little. This verse is saying that Christ can give you the strength to deal with a relationship that is hard and worth and difficult. This is saying that Christ can give you the strength that you need. Paul did not learn, survive, and be content on his own. He had a source that strengthened him, that carry him, that empowered him. And that source was Jesus Christ. Contentment is not based on what you have. It's not based on a person in your life. Contentment comes from a person, and that's Jesus Christ. Oh the Lord. Let me get personal with you for a minute. If I have my way, I'd be divorced by now. Yep. I was going to a time in my marriage, a season in my marriage where I was miserable. I was sad. I was caught up in depression. Especially when I set my call into minister, that's when things get really bad. Woohoo. And so I decided that divorce was the best thing for me. It was a hard decision. Because by the time I start thinking of divorce, I can see all the church people rolling their eyes at me, the thoughts of me being divorced and being a minister. You know. But you know what I said? I'm gonna deal with that. Because I want to be happy, and I'm not happy in this relationship. So I start plotting and plotting to make this divorce work. But at the same time, I wanted to remain obedient to God, you know. Not that God would change his feeling towards me because I got divorced, but I decided that when I do it, I want to make sure at least God is with me in the process. But look how I did it. I didn't ask God, should I get a divorce? I tell God, listen. I am going to get a divorce, and I want you to agree with me. And then I went to God and I told him, I prayed and I told him all the reasons why this must happen. And all of those reasons added together was for me to be content. I deserve it. Right? And I will never forget the day that I opened an email one morning after my prior regard. I opened an email, my email, and right at the top of my inbox, the first email, the subject line was, Your marriage is not for your happiness. Woo! I didn't even open the email because I knew right away God was talking to me. That was the whole thing, that was the only thing I was praying about for the whole week. So I knew God was talking to me. I was hurt, I was sad, I was disappointed that this was the answer that he comes with me for. Come on. Why then would I get married? Why then do people get married? It's to be happy, it's to have your person with you, you know, making you feel joyful and happy, right? And while I was in that conversation with God, I was being honest. I told him I was disappointed. God says, not right now. Right now, your marriage is for you to honor me. I didn't really understand what that meant. I didn't even understand what I'm supposed to do with that. But I wanted to learn. Many, many, many years later, I am here still married. Yes. I I see where God opened my eyes to truly understand. At that time, really, God wanted me to honor him. He wants me to walk in obedience with him. He wants me to focus on him. But I was so caught up in my emotion. I didn't understand what God was saying to me back then. I am still married 28 years, 20 something years later. And I'm content. Not because my marriage is perfect, absolutely not. Not because I am now in a place where I can say I am content and walking around because my situation changes. No, I am content because I changed my source. See, God had to show me that I was putting all my happiness on a person. He was showing me that I was putting all my happiness on my situation. And like Paul, I had to learn. But if I'm being honest, it takes me a while. Not right after I opened that email. Not right at not the very next day I learned. No. The very next day I was still hurt. I was still disappointed. But I decided in the tears, in the pain, in the hurt, I'm still going to be obedient to God. And I'm like, okay, I will go to my bed, I will cry, I will tears. But if God said it, if he said this is just the time for me to honor him, I'm gonna do my best to honor God. Today I look back at all the lessons I've learned. Mind-blowing. I had to sit down, I'm like, girl, what were you thinking? Have you ever been in that moment? That teaching moment? That was where I had to learn. I had to switch my source. I no longer depend. Yes, I had to learn that my marriage was not for my happiness. And when I make my marriage about honoring God, things started to change. Yes. But the most important thing was I didn't depend on my marriage for anything. My source of all things had become God. But I had to go through the process of learning that. I had to realize that I did not want to be imprisoned by things. I didn't want to make my happiness because of something. You see, I finally get it. I finally get it. That my contentment was being an artist. Most of us right now are outsourcing our contentment to a relationship, to a job, to money. We outsource our contentment, but we forget the real source of our contentment. It's not things, is not our situation. It's a person. Jesus Christ. Paul learned that secret and you can too. It's going to be a learning experience. That means you have to keep going to it. And so while we are in this place where we understand that learning is necessary, I want to challenge you to do something this week. After you listen to this podcast, I want you to think about what's that thing that right now you feel you need so you can be content. Say it out loud. Maybe I need a husband. I need a wife. I need a new car. Say it out loud. And listen to that need. And ask yourself is that is actually what you need? Are you just using it to fill a real need? But Christ can feel that real need for you no matter what it is. That's what Paul found out. When the source is Jesus, he's strengthening through every situation. Whether you're happy, you're sad, you're comfortable, when Jesus is your source. You see and live in a different way. Your life is no longer bombarded by the more trap. Instead, you are free to live out every situation with joy in your heart. It's not about not wanting more. Paul is not saying we should not desire things. Paul is not saying we should not want things. All of that is okay. He's saying that the reason why you need them or want them shouldn't be for your contentment. It should not be for your happiness. It should not be for you to obtain joy. I mean, he literally said that in the first verse. He said, it's not that I don't have need. It's that I have learned to be content. Regardless of what I need, regardless of what my situation is. You see, why is this so important is that contentment is a place of satisfaction and joy. It's a place where we are at peace in every situation. It's a place where we can walk around and see, it's like we can walk around and have absolutely no shirt in our back, and we are still filled with joy. And you know what? That's the place God wants all of us to be. Is Jesus Christ? Our needs also change, our desire changes. We realize that no matter what's going on in our life, our situation, our contentment is still there. So I challenge you this week. Say out loud the things that you feel you need right now so that you can be content. And ask yourself, do you really need it? Or just you are just trying to fulfill contentment you hit. I pray that you will understand how to be content with everything. Let us close in prayer. Evan Father, there is someone listening right now who is exhausted from chasing. They have been told their whole life that more is the answer. And that they're starting to wonder if the answer even exists. Meet them there. Not with a bigger life, not with a better source. In Jesus' name. Amen. I thank you for joining me for this podcast. Don't forget to share this with somebody else who feels empty and need more. Until next time, keep asking, keep seeking, and keep unpacking the truth. God bless you.