Break the Consumption Cycle: Contentment, Calling, and a Calmer Soul

Have you ever gone shopping because you wanted to feel better? You know, a little retail therapy? Or maybe you found yourself buying things you don't need again. Your closet is already full. You don't have room to put another thing in there. Or maybe it's not consuming stuff. Maybe it's consuming time and you are in front of your phone scrolling on X or TikTok or Instagram because you just want to relax. But when you look up, your 30-minute relaxation has turned into a 3-hour binge. Y'all, we are consuming people, but we shouldn't be. So let's talk about how you can get out of a constant consumption cycle. Let's talk about that today. Right now, my Amazon cart has like 30 things in it. Now I'm not going to buy all 30, but you know, you see the things and you want the things and you don't want to forget that you wanted the things. So you click add to cart. They make that button so easy for you to click. And even if I wanted to click add to list, I could do it, but it's not as easy to find. Why? Because Amazon doesn't want you to add it to your list. They want you to add it to your cart. So then I have all these things just sitting in my cart waiting for me to buy them. Do you know that I feel better just when I click add to cart? I don't even have to buy it yet. Just the feeling that it's ready and waiting. Y'all, that is consumption lived out large. We just have the need to click, to swipe, to tap. And God forbid we're not tracking what we're clicking and swiping and tracking and tapping because then we look up at our bank accounts or our credit cards and we're like, like, how did I spend that much money? There is a consumption cycle. How did I spend this, this much time swiping around on my phone? We are designed as creatures who are designed to consume. And the problem is when we start consuming anything and everything out of order. So I want to talk to you today about how to get out of a consumption cycle, because while you are built to consume, you're built to consume certain things. And it is the work of your life to make sure you're consuming the right things so you don't fill up your life or have bills to pay for consuming the wrong things unnecessarily. Y'all, there's a rush from buying things. The new iPhone is out, and Lord Jesus, I want it so bad. Can I tell you, I filled up my Apple Card 3 times, and then I was like, you don't need it, you don't need it. Your phone works just fine, even though it has a little bitty scratch on the surface of the screen. That means I need a whole new phone. My phone is fine. I've even told myself things like, girl, listen, you, you're a content creator, your phone is a moneymaker, you need the latest and greatest. And I may get the latest and greatest soon, but I didn't need it then. I was responding to the itch of new. I gotta have it. And that restraint that I was practicing was my way of not letting the consumption cycle consume me. How often does this happen to me? It happens to me when I want to get some new products for my face. How many moisturizers for my face do I need? Or some new products for my hair? My cabinets are overflowing with all the things I tried that didn't work. Or maybe I need yet another black muumuu. Somebody say yay for the black moomoos! I got like 5 of them, but you know, I need to be on backup just in case one or two of them go down. I need them on strong rotation. Y'all, the things we tell ourselves about what we need and why we need them. But I want you to pay attention to the fact that every time you spend your resources, your time and your money, your energy, the rush that you get when you do— if you experience a, ooh, I gotta go, ooh, I wanna have, ooh, I feel good when it's mine, bring it home, it's new in the box— that feeling, that is your flesh. Ouch! Did I just hit myself? I may have. That is your flesh. Your flesh is designed to consume. Why is this? Because you were placed with a hole in your heart, a hole in your soul that only God can fill. And the work of the flesh is to work overtime to get you to fill your body, your life, your time, your house, your cabinets with things that will never fill your soul. So instead of doing what you need to do to engage in your relationship with Christ, to fill your life with really deep relationships, to make sure you are serving and experiencing the beauty of contentment and satisfaction that God wants to give you, you take the quick hit and you do the thing that will give you the gift of consumption and temporarily fill the hole that only God and his plans for you were designed to fill. So it's okay if you find a good deal. I have nothing against 60% off, but I am against you being in the consumption cycle. I'm against me being in the consumption cycle. And listen, I have said for a long time I'm not a TV watcher, and I'm not. I'm not really a TV watcher. But you best believe I get in that bed with my phone and swipe till the cows come home. Consumption isn't just about money. It's about the way you filled your mind, your time, your closet, and your soul. It's about constantly taking things in and rarely slowing down to ask why. So I want to give you 3 things that you can do, that you can think about, that you can process, that will help you to assess whether or not you are in a consumption cycle, and then what you can do about it. Because again, the goal is to fill your soul with things that last and things that actually help you live well. Number 1, you want to recognize the root of your restless consumption. Luke 12:15 says, take care and be on your guard against all covetousness. Now that's a good church word. We're going to describe it better in just a second. For one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions. One's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions. Let me read this same scripture to you in The Message version, which is a paraphrase, plain speak for what the Bible says. Take care Protect yourself against the littlest bit of greed. Life is not defined by what you have, even when you have a lot. Okay, that's Luke 12:15. So you've got to first of all make sure that you are recognizing the root of restless consumption, because any consumption that you have is because there's a hole in your heart. And you've got to ask yourself, if you are hungry to fill it up, what are you actually trying to fill? Because it's usually not the thing you're going to get that fills you. Now, there is a statistic that says— it's from Forbes— that Americans see 4,000 to 10,000 ads a day. Okay, not only do we want more, we're being tempted to have more because there are people that have to sell things to you in order to stay in business. So you are seeing ads on your phone, you're seeing ads on social media, you're seeing ads on the web when you check your email, you're seeing ads when you drive down the freeway with the billboards on the side. You're seeing ads, uh, everywhere— in magazines, in newspapers. You're constantly being bombarded with the lust of the eyes. This is what the Bible calls it. Um, in Matthew chapter 4, when Satan tempted Jesus, he basically tempted him with the same things that the New Testament talks about later— the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, the pride of life. What do you see that you want? What do you feel that you want? And what will fill you up and make you feel like you're the big shot? Okay, but he tempted— Satan tempted Jesus the same way. The lust of the flesh: aren't you hungry? The lust of the eyes: I could give you everything. Pride of life: why don't you declare yourself king and show everybody what you can do? Satan does not have new tricks, but what he does is put what you could potentially want in front of you nonstop, and then the world cooperates with that. So the fact that it's difficult for you to reject consumption, I just want to you know, commiserate with you for a second. It's hard. It's hard, you know. It's always a new purse. There's always a new and improved. There's always something. There's always the latest and greatest on social media. There's always a new shiny app, because listen, I have an app problem. The reality is we are bombarded with things to do, things to try, places to be, clothes to wear, accessories to consume. We are bombarded with those things. So I want to commiserate with you that, you know, it's tough out in these streets. But now that we know that, that doesn't change the fact that we have to decide who we're going to be. So when you're scrolling late at night, filling your online cart, and you still feel empty or stressed, particularly when you get the bill— listen, that was consumption at work. Dave Ramsey says we buy things we don't need with money we don't have to impress people we don't know or even like, if we do know them. Consumption often masks a deeper need. Loneliness, stress, fear of missing out, belonging. So if you find yourself in the bed scrolling or watching Netflix all weekend, what did that take the place of? Well, what did that take the place of? I know you enjoyed it, but what was the root of that? Were you bored? Were you, were you lonely? Sometimes we shop, we eat, we consume because of boredom. What is it telling you about the hole in your soul? Recognize the root. And often, because we are built for community, we are built to know God, we are built to expand our souls, we're built to expand our capacity by doing hard things, because we're built for that, when we take the shortcut by spending money, spending our time, spending our resources, we are exiting the building on God's plan for us. And trust me, you want God's plan for you. We all have a hole. So when you're filling it not correctly, ask yourself, what is the hole that I'm filling? What is it? And then you can choose to fill it another way. That's point 2: replace consumption with contentment. 1 Timothy 6:6-7 says, Godliness with contentment is great gain. Do what God told you to do and be satisfied until he tells you to do the next thing. For we brought nothing into this world and we will take nothing out. The things that you will leave, legacy, how you'll make your mark, usually has nothing to do with the clothes that you have in your closet, with the tech gear that you have on the side. It has nothing to do with the time that you spend on socials. The legacy that you're going to leave are the things that took an investment of time and energy and resources, the people that you connected with, the fact that you were connected enough to God to use your time the way he wanted you to use it. That's where legacy is born. But you will be tempted if you don't know your root to fill your time and spend your money on things that actually don't leave a legacy. The goal is, what does God want for me? And then looking for contentment so that you can do what's important and not waste your resources. When we were kids, my aunt used to take us to Wet 'n Wild, and then it turned into Hurricane Harbor, y'all. And the favorite thing, of course, she would bring food and then she would bring a cooler with water and soda. But we had to limit the amount of soda we were going to drink. And the reason why is because out there in the heat swimming around, the soda, while it tasted good, an ice cold pop, it tasted great, y'all. But that sugar only made us more thirsty. And she would restrict the soda and make us drink water because really our thirst demanded water. Soda was just a treat. If you fill up on soda, not only will you not want water, but too much of the soda will actually only make you more thirsty for more of the thing that's not good for you. And that's what happens. You have to choose the water. You have to say, what is the issue here? The issue is I'm actually thirsty, so I choose the thing that's going to fill me up. Contentment is not a fulfillment of what you want, but it's often the realization that you have what you need and that you're appreciative for what you need. So your ability to replace consumption with contentment means knowing what the hole is and then filling up on what you need. The first thing that you need is a relationship with God. The second thing that you need is what God tells you you need to do, because obedience is the bread that you eat. He is your daily bread. Paying attention to what Jesus wants from you in your daily and being excellent, as the Bible tells us to be when we show up for work, being committed in your marriage, being disciplined and exercising spiritual disciplines. When you read the word, it tells you how to behave. And you look at your world, your work, your relationships, your people, your family, your kitchen, your body and you operate accordingly. So let me give you an example. If I am going to eat pizza, because, you know, quiet as it's kept, I can order a Little Caesars pizza from my car and pick it up in 10 minutes. And I don't even have to get out of my car. I can drive through. It's a whole problem. But the reality is, why am I eating a Little Caesars pizza or fries or a burger or, you know, strawberry shake from Whataburger? Why would I do that? Because I'm hungry. So what contentment would replace that consumption? Food at the house. What's the barrier to that preparation? So what contentment would allow me to replace consumption, right? Preparedness. Does the Bible talk about preparedness? Look at the ants. Yes, it does. So the Bible tells me how I can operate with what I have— the food that I bought already— being prepared. That is something that the Bible tells me to do so that when I am thinking about being hungry I have food at home. Remember your parents used to tell you that when you were growing up? I'm not buying that, we got food at home. And you would go as a kid and open up the refrigerator and open up the pantry, and because you didn't see anything easy, you were like, there's nothing to eat, right? Sometimes the reason why we are consuming is because what God has caused us to do is not the easiest thing, but it's the best thing. You're replacing consumption with contentment. What has God already provided? Because you're buying things and God is like, girl, there's food in the fridge at home. Girl, there's clothes in your closet at home. Girl, you've had enough social media. Read the books that you've started, they're on the side of your bed. Don't buy any more clothes, uh, pay attention to what you're putting in your mouth so you can lose weight and fit into the clothes that you have. Contentment says, what do I already have and how can my consumption be replaced with me focusing on what exists? Y'all, every year when it was time for a new school year or I started a new school, I'd be so excited because I'd be like, this year is going to be different. I say that every time a new calendar year rolls up too. This year is my year, and this is the time where I get my planner so I can start planning for what I'm going to do in the year to come. And I want you to do that too. Y'all, the Full Circle Planner, they are available for preorder, and I want you to go get yours now while you can. Choose the color and make sure that you can get yours before they run out. thesistercircle.com/planner. Because it's that time where we get to decide who we're gonna be. Come on and join me, y'all. One of the ways you can focus on what you already have is practicing gratitude. Whether you have a gratitude journal, whether you get up every morning and make sure that you're thanking God for 3 things, whether you're writing down what you're grateful for in your, in your Full Circle Planner and your daily tracker— like, wherever you're paying attention, make sure you're paying attention to what you have. Gratitude will precede consumption if you will choose to focus on where you can be content first. Let's talk about point 3: redirect your resources toward kingdom impact. Matthew 6:19-20 says, do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth because moths will destroy, rust will destroy, thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven. That's Matthew 6:19. The reality is, y'all, we have junk. Many of our Inner Circle members know this. We did a declutter challenge this summer and we were just getting rid of things. We have So much stuff. 1 in 10 households rents storage units according to the Self Storage Association. We have so much stuff we can't even fit it in our houses. What if the space that you are renting freed up money for you to invest, or for you to save, or for you to bless somebody else? What if it gave you energy? If you had left stuff to go through in your closet to have energy for spiritual things? Y'all, our stuff is sucking our life dry. Do you see why the enemy would want you to have more things than what you need? Because the more stuff you have, the more energy you spend managing it. Let's talk about what it means to invest in things that have duration, right? Or to invest in somebody else's future via donation. You having too many things allows you— getting rid of the things that you have that you don't need allows you to redirect your resources. If you are able to, instead of spending the money on the new purse bless someone who is in need, you are storing up riches in heaven. Not only that, you're going to feel so much better about yourself because what you bought, eventually you're going to give away. But that blessing in the life of a person, that may pay dividends way beyond the time that you hand them a $100 bill. You need to think about your resources because they're limited. And every time you spend your resource, what is the economy of that dollar? You know, there's an economy of a dollar to where— how does a dollar travel through the economic system? When you spend your dollar, where did it travel? When you give your dollar, where did it travel? When you spend your time consuming, where does that take you? When you spend your time growing and developing, serving, connecting, where does that take you? Everything you spend, every act of consumption has travel associated with it. It has dominoes associated with it. And you may think it's just 5 minutes here or $5 here, but when that travels What's the real payoff? When you invest your money, you put in $5 into the stock market, and 10, 10 years, 20 years, 30 years, you have $500. That money traveled. But when you are consuming that money, not only is it spent, it detracts from the resources you had. Every dollar you spent has a payoff. It either adds or subtracts. So as you think about the payoff and the dominoes that fall from how you spend your resources, Redirect them into payoffs that grow, payoffs that expand your territory, payoffs that expand your mind, payoffs that expand, uh, your, your reach, payoffs that will have a legacy well beyond you. Redirect your resources towards things that have a kingdom impact. I want you to get out of the constant consumption cycle, whether that's your app, whether it is Netflix, whether it is clothes, whether it is You know, whatever your vice may be, you know, shoes, socks, Victoria's Secret, hair products. You know what you tend to buy. Your Amazon cart, your Amazon orders will tell you what you tend to buy if you don't already know. I want you to go through your last few credit card statements and say, where is all of my money going? I want you to look at your time. This is why it's so important that you manage your time. Track your time for a day or two or three. Where are you spending your time? Because your resources are limited. And if you are trying to fill the hole in your heart with limited resources, you will never plug the hole. But when you are using your resources for kingdom impact and reinvesting those resources that way, and when you are replacing consumption with contentment, you will see that the payoff not only changes you, but it changes the world you live in. Getting out of the constant consumption cycle isn't about deprivation. It's about freedom. It's about breaking the cycle of restlessness. It's about finding joy and contentment, and it's about living generously. So here's a question for you to consider. What's one area of consumption that you need to surrender to God? And where can you practice gratitude instead of grasping? Where can you have impact? So what's one area of consumption that you actually need to surrender to God? And if you were to surrender it and be grateful and fill the hole with what God actually wants you to fill the hole with more of him and more meaningful work, how would that impact your eternal reach, your eternal purposes? So I'll give you an example for me. If I would stop scrolling at night on the bed, which is almost like my guilty pleasure, and I don't watch TV, and so why not? But if I intend to scroll for 15 minutes and end up doing it for an hour and a half or two, which is super easy, what scriptures could I have memorized? What business books could I have read? What could I have done to expand my mindset with reading a historical fiction book instead of consuming? If I was reading, how could I grow? The people in the world who do big things, y'all, they are readers. They're constantly learning. They're not consuming, they're prosuming because they're only consuming things that help them to produce. For their life, for the world, or in my case, for the Lord. So that's my conviction. Maybe I ought to just not do it. Maybe I should plug my phone in another room so I'm not tempted, but reading is leading. So that would be an example of what I would do. Why? Because I want to know more of what God's word says so I know how to live my life. Why? So that I can expand my mind and my capacity by reading from great people who've done great things. Why? Because sometimes scrolling isn't good for my heart. What consumption is not good for your heart? And what can you replace it with so that you can experience all of the soul-filling, life-giving stuff that God wants to give you? All right. I hope that's helpful, 'cause I had to work hard to get this episode to you. Do you hear me? I had to work hard. All right, y'all. We'll see you next time.