What’s Blocking My Blessings? (Pt.5) (317) - September 27 2025

This week we are speaking about the types of entitlement that could be in a person's life. What happens when we are still behaving entitled as adults? When things in life do not go our way, are we taking things into our own hands and committing sin so we get what we want? How did the Lord deal with those who were entitled in the wilderness? Is someone you know only around because they feel entitled to get things from you and do not actually like you?

This program covers the following Scriptures from the Amplified Classic version (AMPC): 2 Timothy 3:1-4, Proverbs 22:6, 1 Timothy 6:9-10, Romans 5:8, Ephesians 5:5, Romans 5:9, 1 Timothy 6:6-8, 1 Corinthians 10:5-6, 1 Corinthians 10:8-14, Mark 7:22-23, Proverbs 30:8-9.

Transcript

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(Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai. Go Unlimited to remove this message.) And welcome back to another episode of Touch of God. Thank you for joining us for What's Blocking My Blessing, Part 5. My name is Catrice. I'll be delivering the message today. And for those of you who want to read along in the Bible, we use the Amplified Classic Version. Thank you, Lord, that this message shall cause people to be saved, healed, delivered and set free and forgive those who know not what they do. Last week in What's Blocking My Blessings, Part 4, we talked about the power of spoken words, words that program a person coming into agreement with words, watching the words you speak over others, what influences are programming your life and how to replace the words you are hearing in your daily life. This week in What's Blocking My Blessings, Part 5, we will be talking about entitlement. What is entitlement? What does the Bible say about entitlement, which is coveting, entitled children growing into entitled adults? What happened to people who were coveting in the Bible? What are some habits and actions that lead to entitlement and those actions that come from entitlement and then entitlement in relationships? So let's start with what is entitlement. Entitlement's definition, belief that one is deserving of or entitled to certain privileges. We can see that entitlement is about believing that you should have a privilege. For example, someone would think that they would be entitled to a thing, a gift, a person, money, cars, power given to that person so that they can have what they want. Let's begin with a story. A little girl went into a store with her mother. They were having a good time as the mother selected the food for their meals they would be having. As they passed through one of the areas, the child noticed a toy. The little girl pointed to the toy and asked her mother for it. The mother responded and said, no, maybe next time. Until that moment, everything was peaceful and even happy. Then the little girl began to scream, fall to the ground, started to move her arms and legs against the floor. Then she said, I want it now. I hate you. This is not fair. The only thing that mattered in that moment to the little girl was what she wanted, what she wanted to do. The mother was so embarrassed and went a little further ahead enough to keep an eye on her daughter, but enough to distance, separate herself from her daughter screaming and rolling on the floor. As soon as the mom went ahead, the daughter stole the toy and put it under her clothing. What happened? The mom thought to herself, this was the first time her daughter acted this way. The little girl did not care about why her mother could not afford the toy. She did not care how she got it. The little girl decided she was going to have it no matter what. When the mother went to pay for the items she had selected throughout the store, the toy fell out from under her daughter's clothing. The person ringing up her items asked if she was going to pay for the toy. The mother gave in to buying the toy and put a food item back. She did not want to deal with her daughter's attitude on the way back home. In this story, the little girl displayed entitlement for the toy. There was no reason for her behavior except that she wanted the toy so much that her want for the toy dictated her behavior. Let's dive in a little bit more to the definition of entitlement. To feel entitled is to want something. The definition of want as a verb or an action word, to have a strong desire for something wanted, a need, a desire, to hunt or to seek in order to apprehend, to have need of, require, to claim or ask for by right and authority, to demand as necessary or essential, have a compelling need for, entitlement synonyms, which are words that are the same as entitlement, to desire, to wish, to want, to crave, to covet, mean to have a longing for, to desire stresses the strength of feeling and often implies strong intention or aim, desires to start a new life, to wish sometimes implies a general or transient longing, especially for the unobtainable, want specifically suggest a felt need or lack, wants to have a family, crave stresses the force of physical appetite or emotional need like craving sweets or chocolate, to covet implies strong envious desires, covets his rise to fame. We see that coveting was used as another word for entitlement. What does the Bible say about coveting? Let's go to 2nd Timothy 3 verses 1 to 4. But understand this, that in the last days will come set in perilous times of great stress and trouble, hard to deal with and hard to bear. Verse two, for people will be lovers of self and utterly self-centered lovers of money and aroused by an incoordinate, greedy desire for wealth, proud and arrogant and contemptuous boasters. They will be abusive, blasphemous, golfing, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy and profane. Verse three, they will be without natural human affection, callous and inhumane, relentless, admitting of no truce or appeasement. They will be slanderers, false accusers, troublemakers, intemperate and loose in morals and conduct, uncontrolled and fierce haters of good. Verse four, they will be treacherous, betrayers, rash and inflated with self-conceit. They will be lovers of sensual pleasures and vain amusements more than and rather than lovers of God. How does this verse relate to the little girl in the story? In the verse, 2nd Timothy 3 verse two, for people will be lovers of self and utterly self-centered lovers of money and aroused by an incoordinate, greedy desire for wealth, proud, arrogant and contemptuous boasters. They will be abusive, blasphemous, scoffing, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy and profane. The little girls displayed many of these characteristics. Lover of self, the little girl only thought about herself. Self-centered, the little girl was only caring about what she wanted. Disobedient to parents, the little girl's mother told her no, she was not going to buy the toy. The action of the child stealing the toy anyway causes disobedience to what the girl was instructed to do. Ungrateful, the little girl did not care about her mother needing the money to buy food for the family. What the family needed was not considered. Of course, we must keep in mind that children don't know any better. Nevertheless, this is a display of entitlement at a young age. Unholy and profane. As a result of the girl's only thinking about what she wanted, her behavior became out of control, which made it unholy and profane when she was rolling on the ground demanding what she wanted. How can we help a child who behaves this way? How can we prevent them from growing up this way, feeling entitled to things? The Bible says in Proverbs 22 verse 6, train up a child in the way he should go and in keeping with his individual gift or bent and when he is old, he will not depart from it. This is good news to those in Christ looking to prevent entitlement in their children at a young age. What happens to those children who did not have parents to teach them these things? At a young age, a child is still willing to listen. There used to be a saying that parents would say when their children would not listen to them anymore. They would say, oh, they are set in their ways. This means they no longer listen to authority and do whatever they want to do. How many people do you know that just did not have anyone to teach them to not act like the little girl did in the story? As a person gets older, they have adult needs and wants. Can you imagine the little girl in this story as an adult still entitled? Would she still be rolling on the floor and screaming when she did not get her way? Would she still want toys now? Or has she moved to wanting money, clothes and makeup, things that adults would want? What would be her actions now if as a child she stole a toy as an adult, would she be stealing a car, money, clothing? How can they be kept from the bigger needs and temptations in this world? For example, like money. Let's go to first Timothy six verses nine to ten. But those who crave to be rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish, useless, godless and hurtful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction and miserable perishing. Verse 10 for the love of money is a root of all evil. It is through this craving that some have been led astray and have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves through with many acute mental pangs. The Lord tremendously loves us and does not want us to fall into the trap of sin. Living a life of entitlement like the little girl can lead to sinful behavior. A person can become consumed with wanting more and more. When someone feels entitled to something like the little girl in the story, they are not concerned about others. They're only seeing their needs their way. They don't care about why it would be wrong to steal, lie, cheat someone else. They are focused on how they can have what they want right now. This behavior can become addictive and cause bigger problems, which lead to the price of sin in a person's life. For some, they get arrested, go to jail, lose their lives, sell their soul, sacrifice their family, friends, coworkers, just to feel the need of being entitled to something. God doesn't want any of us to become entangled in entitlement, lusting, coveting after things in life. He loves us and wants us to be free from this behavior. Even while we are in our sin, Jesus made a way for us to escape our sins. Let's go to Romans 5 verse 8. But God shows and clearly proves his own love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ the Messiah, the anointed one, died for us. When we know that the Lord does care and shows us a better way to not have to pay the price for feeling entitled and the actions that come with it, the Lord shows us a better way by offering us salvation. In Ephesians 5 verse 5, it says for be sure of this, that no person practicing sexual vice or impurity in thought or in life, or one who is covetous, who has lustful desire for the property of others and is greedy for gain, for he in fact is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one delude and deceive you with empty excuses and groundless arguments for these sins for through these things, the wrath of God comes upon the sons of rebellion and disobedience. Romans 5 verse 9, therefore, since we are now justified, acquitted, made righteous and brought into right relationship with God by Christ's blood, how much more certain is that we shall be saved by him from the indignation and wrath of God? How can we stop wanting so much? How does a person become content? Let's go to first Timothy 6 verses 6 to 8, and it is indeed a source of immense profit for godliness accompanied with contentment. That contentment, which is a sense of inward sufficiency is great and abundant gain. For we brought nothing into the world and obviously we cannot take anything out of the world, but if we have food and clothing with these, we shall be content, satisfied. What happened to people who were coveting in the Bible? So we're learning about coveting, we're learning about how to be satisfied, but what happens when people continue to covet, even though God is directing them? Here are some Bible examples of what happened to the people who were coveting in the wilderness under Moses when they were exiting Israel. Let's go to first Corinthians 10 verse 5. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with the great majority of them for they were overthrown and shrewd down along the ground in the wilderness. Verse 6. Now these things are examples, warnings and admonitions for us not to desire or crave or covet or lust after evil and carnal things as they did. Let's take a look at first Corinthians 10 verses 8 to 14. We must not gratify evil, desire and indulge in immorality as some of them did and 23,000 suddenly fell dead in a single day. This is still referring to the wilderness. We should not tempt the Lord by his patience, become a trial to him, critically appraise him and exploit his goodness as some of them did and were killed by poisonous serpents. Verse 10. Nor discontentedly complain as some of them did and were put out of the way entirely by the destroyer of death. Verse 11. Now these things befell them by way of a figure as an example and warning to us. They were written in admonish and fit us for right action by good instruction. We in whose days and age have reached their climax, their consummation and concluding period. Verse 12. Therefore, let anyone who thinks he stands, who feels sure that he has a steadfast mind and is standing firm, take heed lest he fall into sin for no temptation, no trial regarded as enticing to sin, no matter how it comes or where it leads, has overtaken you and laid a hold on you. That is not common to man. That is no temptation or trial has come to you that is beyond human resistance and that is not adjusted and adapted and belonging to human experience and such as man can bear. But God is faithful to his word and to his compassionate nature and he can be trusted not to let you be tempted and tried and assayed beyond your ability and strength of resistance and power to endure. But with the temptation, he will always also provide the way out. The means of escape to a landing place that you may be capable and strong and powerful to bear up under it patiently. Therefore, my dearly beloved, shun, keep clear away from, avoid by flight if need be any sort of idolatry, of loving, venerating anything more than God. Let's go to Mark 7, verse 22 to 23, coveting a greedy desire to have more wealth, dangerous and destructive wickedness, deceit, unrestrained, indecent conduct and evil eye, envy, slander, evil speaking, malicious misrepresentation, abusiveness, pride, the sin of an uplifted heart against God and man, foolishness, folly, lack of sense, recklessness, thoughtlessness. Verse 23, all these evils, purposes and desires come from within and they make the man unclean and rendered him unhollowed. So that means it makes us unholy when we carry around these desires inside of ourselves. It makes us unclean to God. What are some of the habits and actions that lead to entitlement and come from entitlement? Watching social media and trying to keep up with others, comparison to other people and their lifestyle, addicted to trying to look like you can afford certain things. What will you do to appear or look a certain way? God wants you to not commit sin from wanting and desiring things in your life. Comparison, anger, stealing, lying, false identity, false reality, feeling of never having enough. That sort of mentality, often saying I want, I need, I got to have this thing or that thing. It's about the image of looking like what you think success, power and money look like. We need to take things seriously and if the Holy Spirit right now is touching you and telling you and prompting you that this is in your life, you need to desire to get rid of it because we just read about what happened to the people in the wilderness as they walked with Moses. They were with God. They were walking with God. God was guiding them and because they still were turning towards coveting and making golden idols and complaining and murmuring about wanting more, God destroyed them in the wilderness. How many of us feel like that we're in a wilderness and we don't know why and we're waiting to be blessed because this is what God's word says that we are supposed to be blessed, but we're supposed to be blessed when we walk in obedience, when we do what God tells us to do. God loves you, but God is not going to control you because you have free will. So if you choose not to listen to the Lord and to go after things of desiring money and and being ruthless and what you're going to do to obtain it, this is something that you need to know is not correct and maybe no one ever told you this. So this is your opportunity. If this is you, you can go to Proverbs 30 verse eight to nine, keep deception and lies far from me. Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with the food that is my portion that I not be full and deny you and say who is the Lord or that I not be in want and steal and profane the name of God. Let's look at what entitlement can do in relationships. Sometimes if you're in a relationship with a person or even trying to have a relationship with God, entitlement can be a cloud over your relationship because sometimes that person is looking for what someone must do for them in a relationship instead of loving a person and looking for what they can get from them instead of serving them. Those who feel entitled to what you have or look like you have will only seek what you can give them. The amount of their entitlement depends on how addicted they might be to fulfill the desires of what they want. We must earnestly pray for these temptations that come about in our lives. Pray to not enter into entitlement. Pray and fast against social media, TV, video games, shows, books, people, places, things that make you feel like you constantly need to keep up with what other people appear to have or what they're advertising on social media. Pray for your family. Pray for your friends and your coworkers and those who you meet on the streets who constantly are buying things they want instead of things they need like food and paying for the rent. This world would like to keep us all in bonded and to keep desiring the things that they advertise on TV and on social media and media outlets. But the truth of the matter is that the majority of the people displaying these things don't have these things or they borrowed it for a photo shoot to appear a certain way. And the people who are wealthy and well off, it still hasn't fulfilled the need that they're looking for in their life because money is not going to pay your way into heaven. Money cannot make things the way you need them to be if you've been given a death sentence or an illness. It cannot pay for anything. But Jesus, the one who died for your sins, Jesus can heal. Jesus can deliver. Jesus can save when you are in Christ and you're walking in salvation. God sent his son here who died for your sins so that you can be saved and delivered and translated from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light. And if you desire that, you can call upon the name of the Lord right now, right where you're sitting, and God will touch you right where you're at. It doesn't matter what you've been doing, repent and turn away from those sins. Turn away from those things that you know to turn away from. And God will lead you down the path of righteousness and show you the other things that you perhaps didn't know about and you need to remove from your life. God, I just thank you for those listeners who are listening right now today, who you've touched their heart, who desire to repent, who desire to call upon the name of the Lord. Allow them to know and to settle in their heart that all who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Give them strength, give them confidence, give them boldness for such a time as this to turn away from their sins and to make things right in their lives. Once and for all, in the name of Jesus. Amen.