15.Contentment And Dangers Of Discontentment

Welcome to track #15 of wiser serpents. Don't know much about history, don't know much psychology, don't know much about philosophy, don't know much. But I don't know Jesus, and I know that he has chosen me. I will give my life to do his will. Don't know much about a night somewhere. Now I don't need to be a professor or a millionaire, but I can preach the word of God and my reward is in heaven. Don't know much about English book. Don't know much about Spanish words. Don't know much about Russian words, don't know much about the French I took, but I don't know to die for me and I know that he's chosen me how to get in my life. Don't know much about. Democracy. Don't know much about the Supreme Court, don't know much about the books of Lord, don't know much about that. But I do know Jesus died for me and I know that He has chosen me. I will give my life to do His way. He gave my life. To do his way. But I do know Jesus died for me, and I know that he has chosen me. I will take. My life to do his way. I don't know Jesus, but I don't know Jesus God for. Me. And I know that he has chosen me. I need my love to do everything. Amazing. They're fantastic. At least I know that Jesus loves me now. Masters. What does it mean to be wise as serpents? A means to be a master of contentment. Is that not so? Be happy with what you got. Now let me give you 5 circumstances under which you must exhibit contentment. Number one, you must be content in the circumstance of need when you are in need. Philippians 412 says, not that I speak in respect of wants, for I have learned in whatever state I am therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased and I know how to abound everywhere and in all things. I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. OK, I've been instructed to suffer needs, and I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Amen. So you must show contentment, because it is when there is a need that you start to see people's discontentment and disgruntled attitudes. When am I going to get my car? When am I going to have a place to stay? When am I going to have my own room? When am I going to have a car? When will I have money? When will I have this? That's where you see when a person is content or not. Yeah. You know, And you see, you must you must show needs. You must show contentment in time of need. Amen. All right. OK. Good. Why is this sounding better? Why was it not sounding better before? Why was it not sounding better before? Come, the gentleman should come. You are sleeping, you see. Stand in the middle there. Who are the soldiers? Are you sleeping in front of the Are you sleeping in front of your? No, but how many things that he was sleeping in front of the National Fire? All right, OK, next time don't sleep when the green sound. What is your name? Are you are you happy? Are you excited? Safe Journey. No lady should think that you are exempted from because you may be the one to get the bucket. No, lady, if you think you are ladylike, some type of special lady, be careful #2 every, every minister, a pastor must show himself to be content in and under base circumstances. Base circumstances? What is base? What does it mean Base, huh? The opposite of Porsche. Wow. Muleganos low, of little value, worthless, you see, characteristic of or befitting an inferior person. So when you are in a base circumstance which you think benefits an inferior person, do you get it? That's not somebody like your type. What type are you? But what is the guy who had received the bombing of the grenade? He's not happy to receive the What do you call it? How many of you think that some things are inferior to you? You see, when you think that something is below you, you see that is where it's that there's something wrong. You must show happiness and show happiness. That's why people ask me that question. Shouldn't ask me that question if I'm an evangelist. I must rather be happy that God has allowed me to be an evangelist, not to be thinking that I mean this type of circumstances. I need a place to bath, I need a place for this, I need this, I need fork a knife. I don't need anything. You must show happiness and that circumstance you that you feel like an inferior person. How do you mean? And that attitude has made us turn up our noses at most of the mission fields that are waiting for evangelists and pastors. We have turned up our noses. That is below me, Paul said again in the Bible. Not that I speak in respect of words, but I have learned in whatsoever state, I am therewith to be content. I know how to be abased. How many can go to toilet on the Savannah plane? Raise your hand if you can do it happily. Ladies only ladies. But as you put out her ladies, any lady who feels it is below you, lift up your hand. Where are they who feel that it's below you? Check and see if there are any sisters who feels some things are below them. Have you seen anybody? Francine is below you. How many sisters have been to toilet in the Bush before? Stand up. Tamara, you've not. You have not done. So now how many sisters have not been to toilet in the forest before? In the Bush before? Stand up? They have not been before. So what about those who didn't stand up the first time? Those of you who have not been to toilet in the Bush before, can you do it? They are not sure of their answers. Are you sure of your answers? Are you more delicate than that? More sophisticated? You see, when you do that and we send you to mission field, you may later tell us that you can't stay there. It is inferior to you. It's below you. What you mean? And souls will go to hell because of such an attitude. When we were in medical school, we were taken to Danfa right here as part of our rotation where there is no toilet. There was. I don't know if there's toilet there now. It was a KVIP, Yes, yes, it was a KVIP. And we were told that, you know, we want, you see, what is a KVIP? You use it practically and the spirit, what did you did you go there? Was there a KVIP? And when I entered, there was my lecturer. You pass through the, you pass through the, what do you call it? All the doors are open. There's no door. It's called omnibus. There is no door to close off anywhere. So you pass by anybody. You greet anybody that you see and then you go and you squat and you know that this is a KVIP constructed, how it is constructed, how it is used in medical school. We were trained because we are doctors in, in, in a, in a, in a developing country. And these are the cause of a lot of diseases from, from the lack of toilets, you see. And it was part. We were there for seven days. And I mean the seven days. You see that unless you have the special Constipation, you will go there by all means. Yeah. So you see what I'm telling you? It's not it's not absurd. You may think I I you always think I'm joking till I say certain things. It's real. Yeah. When I when I sent my crusade directors out at the point, I bought each of them in a small shovel, small 1. Like this shovel, you just take a small place and then whatever and you cover it. That's all for healing. Jesus. You had your own little. Yeah. And we bought it from America. Yeah. When they go for camps and camping and so on, and they have all these tools, you use it to take whatever, and you just do everything there. You cover it and it's OK. Yeah. So you see, now we don't want any too big whatever here, all right? Is it clear or it's not clear? I know how to abase, must know how to do everything. Stoop, stand here, do everything #3 You must know how to be content when you are suffering. For said Philippians 4. I know how to abound and to suffer need. So you suffer the need. Not just you are in need, but you are actually suffering in the need. The next one, you must know how to be content in circumstances of abundance, he says. I know how to be abased and I know how to abound. Amazingly, sometimes it is the people who have a lot or everything who are the most discontent group of people in the world. They are not happy, they are not happy about things. They are always angry, always quarreling. I don't have this. Why do you have that? I want to have this. You have iPhone 4, iPhone 3, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPhone 6, iPhone 7, everything. You have everything and you are still more discontent, more spoiled and more beastly because you have everything. And those are those who don't have any. That's why when people come to countries like Ghana, they find the people happy and they come and they say the people are very happy. Were you expecting us to be sad? When people come for healing Jesus Crusade, one of the commonest remarks that they make, your people are very happy. Everybody seems to be so happy. They all seem to be happy. They all seem to be happy what they are doing. Do you expect us to be sad? We are happy with what we are doing, you see. But when they see any form of need, any form of difficulty, any form of abasement, you feel that the people must be. But when you are a spiritual Pilgrim, there will be needs that you will be so happy. There will be abasing circumstances that you are a happy person. There will be suffering that you are a happy person. And even in when the abundance camp, you will say, look at this, the Lord has been so kind, I should have even been dead. Look at what He has done for me. Yeah, so you must learn it. And some of us, we have what we call a froward spirit. Froward. Write it down, froward. Now froward means to be habitually opposed. It it means three things. A a person who is Frewett. You see, I'm sure you've seen it in the book of Proverbs, Frewett. You always think it's Frewett, but it's Frewett. It means three things. Three things that I want you to be to remember #1 it means to be habitually opposed to things. It's like you are always against, they may give you a green card, you are against it. Why was it not red? Why was I not as what colour #2 it means willfully contrary. If you're always contrary or against things willfully and it's, it is, it is intentional, willfully contrary and #3 it means not easily managed. Somebody who is not easy when, when he's in a group or when he's in a, in a, in a family or in a, in a, in a, in a, in a, in any kind of group of people is the difficult one not easily managed, wilfully contrary and habitually. Like, it's like almost like a habit that we know that he will be the one who will not be happy. He will be the one who will say something against it. He is the one who will always not be happy about things. It's a specific type of person. It's an English word because it's in the, it's like, what do you call it in the, in the English language that these are people who own are you with, are you with me? Are you all right now? It's, it is from an old word. You see, it's the opposite of towards, towards, fro, to and fro. So it's like he's always the opposite, going backwards, going against things. And in every group, you, you sometimes a group of pastors, you have somebody who is froward. It's always against when they say meeting. Will you not tell us what time we should start? Can you tell us whatever this? Can I ask you a question, please? Is it, is it, are we only supposed to say positive things at a meeting? Or can we also say what we are thinking? Or this person will stand up and say, well, I want to say something I know many people are thinking about, but they can't say it, but I want to say it because, you know, I think a lot of people are pretending here. So anyway, this and that, I mean always you are like one person stood up and asked me say do not get tired. I said tired of what? You're not at a meeting in front of everybody said do not get tired. I said tired of what? Do not get tired of receiving praises. People are praising you and saying good things about. Do not get tired of that. Yeah, you see it's a forward character, forward to and fro. It's not a good. And you see, if I was a forward person, always not happy about whatever there is habitually opposed, willfully contrary and not easily managed. Now when you read that, the meaning of this word is actually a very scary meaning if you are like that and it actually says it's the opposite of towards all right? And it is translated early translations from the Book of Sounds, which means about to depart, departing and doomed to die. Turn away from, turn from, throw well, throw well, turn away from. You know, it's not a good character. So if you are here and you are always the order who is against what is being planned, against the decision that and if you are a pastor and you have a forward person amongst your team, don't be worried because these people exist and you are likely to meet them and have them. And sometimes you have to know how to manage. It's not easy to manage, but you have to manage them and you have to be careful because the person can pass that spirit into the whole group. And soon you see that it's difficult to organize a meeting with that person willfully, contrary, habitually. It's a habit to be opposed. It's a habit to be the opposition when they say let's all go here. I don't know why you will always just say we should all go there. It's not so easy for everybody to go there. I want to tell them, yes, everybody may be quiet, but what I'm saying, it's also important. And they want to say that, but they can't say. So I'm saying it for them. Throw it, throw it and throw it to and fro. Yeah, yeah. Oh, they, I've seen many of such people. Even among the political parties, you see that there are people who are part of the party, but they are fluent within that party, habitually opposed within the party. So contentment is a very, very important thing. That contentment is seen under certain circumstances. It doesn't always show that. When you see that there is a need for the base, it's like something that is abasing. You are forced to abase and say hmm I'm I'm better than this now. 6 Dangers of not being content Number one, when you are not content, you reach out for things which God has divinely withheld from you. God has not given to you, but you want it for people who reach out to take what God had withheld. God sometimes withholds things from us. The most famous is Adam who God withheld one of the trees. Is that not so? He was given 10,000 million trees, but God withheld the tree of life, that one. He wanted it. Every time you take what God has decided to withhold from you, you get into serious trouble and it's because you are not content. How many trees did Adam have? 10,000 million trees. But he wanted the one tree that has not been given to him. How many? Notice that sometimes you have something like that is the one that you don't have. That is the one that you want. Oh, Messi #2 Ahab was given the whole of Israel, the king, but he was not given Nabot's vineyard. Yes, he was given the whole of Israel, be the ruler of the whole of Israel. And he wanted Nabot's vineyard in addition to whatever he had. Hey, what a shock. Is it a good thing? Why do you want Nabot's Vineyard in addition to the whole of Israel that you'll be made a rule out? What? You rule Nabot's Vineyard in a special way. Hey #3 David was given lots of women, but he was not given Bathsheba. And when you are discontent, you reach out for the one thing God has withheld from you and it brings you all your problems in this life. Wow, huh? Try to be happy with what God has given to you because God is blessing you and you need to look at what you have. Maybe God has blessed you with me. Maybe I'm a blessing for you. But it's like you want to have Reverend Dr. Stars and Moons. He wants some other person and it's like what God has given to you. You don't even you just even look past it to see something else and God hasn't given to you. And now instead of reading my simple book on how to pray, you are reading TD Jakes books and you don't understand it. It's true. They don't understand it. You somebody, he's a great man of God or maybe somebody in TD Jakes church that have given him TD Jakes. Instead of reading TD Jakes book on woman now at loose, he's rather reading my book. Daughter. You can make it when you have not been loosed. First of all, you want to make it. You want to make it so contentment, very, very important to receive what God has given to you #4 Absalom was given the right to be a Prince and right to be an important person in the Kingdom, and he was not given the Kingdom, and he reached out for the Kingdom and he lost his position as a Prince. So whenever you reach out for what God has not given you, you lose what God has given you. Because Adam lost his control, Asalam lost his position as a Prince, Ahab lost the kingship, David lost the control of his Kingdom because he took one. He had lots of beautiful women, and I'm sure there was another woman with bottoms as big as Bathsheba's in town, almost identical to Bathsheba. Because he was a king, he could have called for any of these women, and somehow he wanted Bathsheba. So whenever you are, you show discontentment about what God has given you. And you know you're not happy with what God has given you. Reach out to take what God hasn't given you. Start to lose what God originally gave you. Yeah. So contentment is a very, very important thing. Alright, so I'm giving you 6 dangers of discontentment. And I told you, serpents are very wise because they they have the ability to be content. You know, they can eat and they don't. It's like, why are you not moving out of town? So I ate glass of tuba. I'm OK. Cry. Don't you need to eat again? No, I'm all right. Wow. Don't you want another meal? Oh, no, I'm cool. Cry. Don't you want to move to another house? Don't you want to have this? Don't you want to have that? I'm cool. God has been good to me. Don't you want to have a Benz? No, I'm very happy. I'm happy with my Hyundai. But you could have the Benz. What is in a Benz? Look at this Hyundai. Can you get what I have in this Hyundai in a Benz? Can't you see that it's good? Without this attitude, you can never be in full time ministry. You always be. I would have had this, I would have had this, I would have had this, I would have had this. Maybe you wouldn't have had it. I now would have been this by now. I would have had this by now. I'd been this, you see. And you see that you become restless. That's why you shouldn't be in full time ministry. You should be in another ministry, Tigo or MTN ministry. They keep moving to Montigo, you move to MTN. From MTN they'll transfer you to another country. Or from MTN you move to Backlash. From Backlash you move to Stanchard. From Stanchard you move to Zenith. Like that you keep on moving because you keep on reaching out. You are an outreach man. #2 When you are not content, you fall into the sin of comparison, The sin of comparison. For we dare not make ourselves of the number or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves. But they measuring themselves by themselves and comparing themselves among themselves are not wise. Amen. Are you there? Yeah. When you fall into this, you are discontent. You start to compare Compia and you start to look. What does he have? What do they do? What do they have? I will tell you something that they have. Should I tell you something that they have? They have something you don't have something different from yours, and yours is also different from theirs. If you want to know the truth, it's different from yours. Is it better? I don't know. So. And you see, do you know why comparison is is dangerous? Do you know why comparison is dangerous? Comparison is dangerous because human beings, most of us are not deep thinkers. You see, if you are, you can compare or when you compare, right? If you are a deep thinker, you think deeply enough. You may come to the right conclusion when you compare, but most people are not deep. So when you compare, you just compare two things and you just come to another. Mind is not good. Now, you say that your husband is not rich. He doesn't bring much money to the house. And you look across and you see Mr. Jones. Hey, hey, Mr. Jones is bringing so money to the house. You've compared only one thing. What else? You see what else I said? That comparison is very dangerous when you don't think deeply, if you think it's OK. Mr. Jones is bringing money, do you know what else Mr. Jones is bringing? Do you know how Mr. Jones shouts in the house? Do you know how he slaps? Do you know how many times they've been to the police station on assault case, battery and assault? You say that your your husband doesn't bring much money, but he allows you to go to church. You come at any time, any time is just there as if he hasn't seen you. You don't do anything, he doesn't mind. You don't cook, there is no food, there is no sex. There is no you are not even available to talk to the person he has now married television in your absence, he wouldn't praise God. You see, he didn't think deeply. He says he's useless when he comes to church. If you have met somebody whose husband doesn't go to church, even he allows hell, but he himself doesn't go to church and you are, When you are washing his trouser, you will be emptying the pocket. When you empty the pocket, you will see Med lab tests. Med lab or sexually transmitted diseases, There's tests here. Once you are washing you, you come and say Med lab. What is that sexually transmitted disease clinic. This is ah, what is that? Whereas ah, anything I need to have been feeling something itching me. Yes, not knowing that there are other disadvantages. So because you don't go deep, you quickly come to a conclusion that mine is not good. This one is good. Mine is not good. You know, That's why I got an advice. Don't compare. You say you would like to be married to me. You know how difficult it is to be mine because you only look at 10. If I'm dead. Bishop. No. If I'm a Bishop's wife. Oh, it's gonna be so sweet. I'll go to Korea. I'll enjoy. I'll go to Malaysia. It will be sweet. I'll be so invited. I'll be the first lady. I'll buy nice dresses, I'll do my hair and I'll sit in front. Everybody will look at me. I was happy to cry for me. Wow, that's only one thing. You only look at one side. My wife is not beautiful. When I see the beautiful lady, I realize that I shouldn't have entered a relationship at that time and I've married now is late. I should have waited because I have seen there were more beautiful girls, especially that sister called Patience. Patience, Sister Pat. She's beautiful, but that's all. Finish dressing hair and that is all. She cannot cook, she will not cook. She has a bad attitude, she does not even smile. Wow. As for sex, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no zip. It's a negotiation. Before you have said you will discuss the Bible says the Bible says, the Bible says, the Bible says, and she will say the Bible says, and So what the Bible says, and So what? Look at your mouth. You take me to be one of those prostitutes. Nonsense. You take me to one of those prostitutes. I'm not a prostitute. Obvious things that you want me to do. I'm not a prostitute, stupid. That I've married you doesn't mean that I get a get a person. I should jump. I should, I should move. I should do this. I can't do it. I said I can't do it. I don't mean no. She's the most beautiful. She's Miss Ghana. She's Miss Deluxe, so you see you. You shouldn't have compared your humble wife you have in the house whose stomach has grown a little bigger. You are compared deeply. You see that God has given you a nice Bono mattress you can enjoy. They didn't compare well, that's why perhaps they don't compare. You can, you know, valuation. They do it for four years in tech like to how to know whether this one is more valuable than this? It's not a small thing, four years, but this one is more valuable than this. And this is what makes it valuable than this one. And this factor and this factor, you can't easily know the value of something. So this house is more valuable than this house. When you go, you'll find out that this house is more expensive than this. Wow. So yeah, there's a reason because of this and this and this, it changes it. So you just start comparing. But you see, it's four years of school, university to know the value. And I'm telling you, I'm sure if there's a course on valuation of ladies, you'll be surprised. If there's a course and you stay, we get up and we start valuing the sisters that you are choosing, you'll be surprised on a scale of zero to 100. You see, when you bring this one forward, let me show you, stand up ladies, the front row, you'll be surprised. The valuation up to 100. They may say this 120, this 113, this 165, this 166, this 1/6 and this 19. And you said she said that. How did she get only 9 points in the valuation? And this person, I don't even know her name. She had 65. What is there about her? And you say, ah, there's something and you'll be surprised when we go into it. You find out this one can make meat pies. Can you make meat pies? No, she she cannot make meat pies. This one can make meat pies. When you go into it, you tell her that this one, she can serve 2530 people at the same time, if they come to us, can cook for them. Can you cook for 2530 people? Yes, when it comes to sex, you'll find out that this one, she is an Acrobat, is an Acrobat. What percentage did you get? 6 and this one is a cadaver. Cadaver means that you are just there. Finish what you are doing. You have 66 When you come to this one, you find that this one, not only is she an Acrobat, but she's also into gymnastics. How many, how many percent did you get 16% Now when you go into this one, you may find now that this one has a problem with faithfulness, valuation. She she can make meat pies this, this, this, this, but whatever. But if you travel, if you travel, you can't tell, you can't tell what is going to happen. That's why she has 16%. So do you understand why God says don't compare? Because you don't know a lot of deeper things that means. So that's why you should be LED more by the Spirit when you are choosing. And if if you were mature enough, you shouldn't even choose your own husband or wife. Somebody should choose for you or some higher person who will look at certain other values. When the person would choose and say, you say I've chosen this one for you, you say, oh, that'd be why. And I say, now we're expecting something different. It's not very good. Sounds very good. OK, no problem #3 sit down, girls. A minister who is not content falls into the sin of jealousy. Yeah, you know the story of a man who came and gave all the laborers, He said, I gave you one penny for a day. And then at the 9th hour somebody came and worked 1 penny. Do you understand? And then people got up and they were annoyed. They said, ah, why? And the man, I did something wrong to you. Did I do something wrong to you? No, please. Then why? And this man, he didn't work hard, but you, your hard work. I promised you one. Did I give it to you? You have then why you are thinking of what somebody else has. And you are jealous of what somebody else has. It has nothing to do with you. So watch out, those of you who have made yourself masters of jealousy the next one when you are discontent, it can expose you to ridicule. Jihansi, who was a man of God, Amen. What did he do? He said he wants his master wants some money, you get it. And he ran after the king and told him, Oh, my master wants my master wants some money because of the prophecy he gave you. You know, he said that it will not be much. Just one talent, you know. And you know, just one is not my master is not greedy. But Neyman saw through that this man was not a happy man. He was working for Elijah, but he was not a happy servant. So the first thing he told him was be content. Take 2 He asked him for one talent, but he told him be content. I can see you are not happy at the place you are working in the ministry. His first advice to him, even unbelievers can see when we pastors are not content. They can see that what we have, we want more, we want money, we want this, we want that. So they tell you straight to your face, be content. Take two. He got silver this and gave it to take it and go. You must be careful. You know your discontentment is seen outside. That's why I will never advise you to come and work for the Lord with discontentment. Be indigo and be at that place by and express your discontentment there on them, but don't come into the church and come and be always not content. Can I have answers for this? We have this for that, this for that. There's nothing like that. Be content. So if you are not content, there is a place that they are more able to receive discontentment than the church. The church is not a good place to express discontentment. Did you hear me? Yeah, Gehazi was a believer. Gehazi was a believer. You see, Gehazi was a believer but Neyman was an unbeliever. But Neyman saw through. The pastor, the pastor who was training Gehazi was a training pastor under Elisha. Gehazi saw through. He said you are discontented everything. You are not happy with your position. I'm not happy with what you have. I'm not happy with everything about the ministry. Take 2. Be careful, your discontentment will disgrace you. Be happy with what God has done for you. Amen. And last of all, a person who is not content can expose himself to cases. Cases when Gehazi got back, they kissed him properly. Hey, so if you are going to be as much as a serpent, what are you going to be content with? One meal every once a year. Some crocodiles even are like that, they eat once a year. When the animals are crossing the Serengeti River, they eat just one or two, and they sleep for the rest of the next year, and then they are plenty. The lions, they have to eat every day. Every day they are hunting. Now. The next important wisdom key of a serpent is that.