The Power Of Christian ContentmentSýnishorn

How to Attain and Protect Contentment

In day three, we recognized that Christian contentment is a learned skilled. It also involves the supernatural. Contentment will not come easily. You will need to focus your soul on it, moment after moment, for the rest of your life. Our friend Jeremiah Burroughs offers further understanding: “Contentment is possible if you get skill in the art of it; you may attain to it, and it will prove to be not such a difficult thing either, if you but understand the mystery of it.” In other words, we must be willing and aspire to become proficient in gaining an attitude and spirit of contentment.

Not only does it take remarkable spiritual skill to attain contentment; it also takes immense strength to protect it. Valor paints a picture of the determined defense we must wage for consistent contentment. Satan and his demonic forces will assault the citadel of your contentment every moment of your life for the rest of your days on earth. In Ephesians 6, you are called on to “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might”. You are called to put on the full armor of God and stand in the evil day, fighting off the schemes of the devil. You are facing forces of cosmic evil whose power you can scarcely imagine. And if you do not fight, you will be discontent. The demonic forces will defeat you and carry off your treasure. 

Satan will come at your contentment in waves, permitted by the Lord, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you can bear (1 Cor. 10:13). You must fight his temptations toward discontentment one at a time, relying on the strength of the Lord. In the Old Testament, David declares that it is God who prepares him for war. God will faithfully teach you to be a skillful warrior and master craftsperson in Christian contentment if this is a desire of your heart. 

The beauty of Christian contentment is that every single day our heavenly Father providentially orchestrates circumstances intended to teach us how to be content no matter the circumstance. Your Father knows what you need, and you can trust the events of your life are divinely ordained. Your response of both trust and submission toward His Fatherly love is foundational to His building a spirit of contentment within you.

In what ways does the enemy discourage, weary, and weaken you? What could you ask from your heavenly Father that would give you hope and strength today?