In this message we will look at the Addiction to Stuff and how it is ruling our lives and overwhelming us. There is a harsh awakening in this country that happiness and success might not be measured by more material things. For many of us, the stuff we own ends up owning us. Our philosophy has to switch. God has hit the Reboot Button on our society and our economy and we must change our ideas and our strategies for living. The problem was the same in Jesus’ day and He addressed it and so must we!
We got in the “Stuff Mentality” because we have an addiction to things. We love to engage in Retail Therapy and we have a perspective that says, “If I want it, then I will get it.” We are addicted to money and the freedom that it gives us. We will examine God’s philosophy of money. He has no problem with it and even finds it necessary. Our philosophy of money must shift from “Dream Weaver” that will lead us to our greatest desires to “Essential Tool” that when used wisely will make life comfortable and workable.
As we try to get the clutter out of our lives, we will move through the rooms of the house and begin to tackle the clutter and start sweeping it clean one room at a time. No room in the house should be more important to a couple than their bedroom. We’ll look at what the Bible says about romance and the principles it gives for saving money in the bedroom and saving the romance from going stale in a Godly Marriage.
Our epidemic of stuff moves right into our kitchens and our “Retail Therapy” causes us to overindulge ourselves in the way that we eat and the way that we fashion our kitchens. We buy food and the fancy utensils to prepare it without thought, but on impulse. We are cluttering our kitchens so that they do not inspire healthy living and our cupboards so that they do not lead to healthy diets. There has to be a simpler way to live. It is choosing to eat and live the way that God made us.
How do you change a nation of “stuff-aholics” and binge shoppers? You retrain a generation about the value of things and the discipline of what are necessities and what are niceties. This all begins in the lives of children. God tells us that we should “train our children in the way that they should go, and when they are old, they will not depart from it.” What a cool principle. If we simply lead by example and teach the principles of good spending and proper “stuff management,” we will do them a great favor to avoid the mistakes that many of us have made.
On this day, we will celebrate our 30-day Spending Fast and De-cluttering of our houses! |
