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Living in God's Power-Overcoming Greed (with podcast episode #21)


"Then he [Jesus] said to them, “watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions" (Luke 12:15). That verse was about the parable Jesus gave regarding a rich greedy fool. And although our circumstances may be much different than that of a rich fool, we may still desire to grow in the area of desiring the things
we have no real use for.
  

Have you ever found yourself getting that extra something, you know you didn't need? Have you ever paid for something that you knew you couldn't afford? Have you ever gotten a second or maybe even a third helping of that good looking dish you know you should have stopped at a long time before? I know I have. Oh yes, I can identify with every one of those scenarios, because I've done each of them more than once. And I must admit I have been and I am still, sometimes greedy. Perhaps many of us are greedy in some areas of our lives, right? In this week's episode, we're going to talk about the subject of greed, the 4th session or 4th chapter in Hybels' book, Living in God's Power, Finding God's Strength for Life's Challenges.

To recap, in last week's episode, I discussed overcoming apathy, the 3rd session or 3rd chapter in Bill Hybels' book, in which I am doing a 7 week book study. The book study discusses the ways in which we can go about getting to the next level in what God has for our lives. Last week's episode also talked about what Hybels says about getting over apathy. He says, "when we allow our heart to be touched by somebody else's life, that can help us overcome apathy (p. 30). When we can feel somebody else's pain, then we can be better equipped to help them through theirs. When we take a minute to appreciate and thank God for our lives and where we are, then maybe we can get out of ourselves and help somebody else who may need our help." Perhaps that apathetic, don't-care attitude will be more of a thankful one when we realize what God has really given us, huh? 

Hybels also says:
"If you are serious about overcoming greed and living free from its claws, the first thing you have to do, is acknowledge its reality. Do not say you are exempt from its pull and power, face it, greed affects all of us to one degree or another. When you notice your eyes wandering towards all that glitters and your heart hungering for more more more, admit it! Then pray for wisdom to discern what is a normal, healthy desire and what grows from the sinister drive of old fashioned greed."
The bottom line is that we all need the Lord in our lives in order to overcome some of the things we need to overcome. It may be different from person to person, but in order to grow and to become better, we have to start from where we are by admitting our short-comings and doing the hard work in getting better. That's it. It's not anything we can't handle. We can all make it. God gives us the strength to do so. Psalm 28:7 says, "the Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him." With God in our corner, we got this. So keep serving, keep believing, and keep striving. We're going to make it. 
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