Empire of Entitlement
There are few things that threaten my ability to live and lead in humility like a spirit of entitlement.
In our culture today it’s real easy to get caught up inside of what’s been called the “empire of entitlement.” Inside of this empire I start to think…
-Life should revolve around ME.
-Relationships are about meeting MY needs.
-Fruitful ministry is the result of MY effort.
-The things I have are because of MY hard work.
Rob Bell wrote in Jesus Wants to Save Christians 
In an empire of entitlement, when the fundamental awareness is lost that this is all a gift, luxuries can begin to seem like necessities. Excess can become normal. And it can be very easy to lose perspective on just how much we have.”
I have to be very careful, especially when things are going well, that I don’t live inside of the delusions of this empire for long. As soon as I start to believe that I have what I have because of MY hard work it leads to all kinds of unhealthy extremes. When I sense myself drifting in this direction I have to remind myself of Scriptures like this one in Deuteronomy. Moses warning is so relevant to many of us today. Especially those of us in leadership.
Deut 8:14-18
14 Do not become proud at that time and forget the Lord your God, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt. 15 Do not forget that he led you through the great and terrifying wilderness with its poisonous snakes and scorpions, where it was so hot and dry. He gave you water from the rock! 16 He fed you with manna in the wilderness, a food unknown to your ancestors. He did this to humble you and test you for your own good. 17 He did all this so you would never say to yourself, ‘I have achieved this wealth with my own strength and energy.’ 18 Remember the Lord your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful, in order to fulfill the covenant he confirmed to your ancestors with an oath.
Do you ever struggle inside of this “empire of entitlement” forgetting it’s God who gives you the power to accomplish what you accomplish and gain all that you gain?
32 Comments:
Pete: I can certainly relate to this. I can remember when I started talking about being a pastor as a teen and my mother warning me to not get into it for the “fringe benefits” i.e. entitlements, prestige, etc. But it is easy to fall into that stream of thought. It is less so these days since pastors are looked on with some dubiousness. (And well-deserved in many cases). I agree that it is easy to take credit for good things happening because of “my ministry.” Great reminder for Monday morning.
Bill (cycleguy)´s last blog ..Worry-Free Week
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Bill (cycleguy)
6:14 am
i think any pastor can identify with this (i definitely do). especially when we things are are going great & we feel like it is all because of our work that the church is growing & the community is changing, but in all actuality, it is because God has prepared the ground we are working for a great harvest.
dan´s last blog ..Look at me!
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dan
6:25 am
To me, that’s just ego. Wayne Dyer calls the ego the part of your mind that wants to “Edge God Out.” We all have it, and it sure is a challenge not to listen to it, isn’t it?!!!
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Pete Wilson Reply:
May 17th, 2010 at 8:54 am
It’s a huge challenge Jan.
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Patricia Reply:
May 17th, 2010 at 8:15 pm
I like that! EGO = Edging God Out. I never really thought about it that way, thanks for pointing it out!
Patricia´s last blog ..Unexpected blessings!
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Jan C.
6:47 am
This is tricky, because while I agree we should honor and remember what God has done for us, when God blesses us we can fall into the trap of thinking He blesses based on what we have done, and if we’re not careful we can get into the mindset that we somehow can convince God to bless us more because of our works. He blesses us for His glory, not for our own. When we can praise God in the midst of our darkness days, during our struggles, when we cry out to Him and declare that He is enough instead of wondering why He is punishing us–I think this honors Him.
katdish´s last blog ..Willsey (by Billy Coffey)
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Pete Wilson Reply:
May 17th, 2010 at 8:55 am
Very true.
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Randy Kinnick Reply:
May 19th, 2010 at 10:06 am
katdish wrote: “When we can praise God in the midst of our darkness days, during our struggles, when we cry out to Him and declare that He is enough instead of wondering why He is punishing us–I think this honors Him.”
This is the crux of the matter. It is all about God…not about me.
Randy Kinnick´s last blog ..Intensity
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katdish
6:56 am
For a moment, i thought you were quoting some unknown books in the bible Duet 8 ?
After confirming it is Deuteronomy 8, i felt much better
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dave
7:25 am
I needed that this morning. Enough said.
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Darrell Brock
7:31 am
Wow! Totally hit me right where I am. Our church has experienced about 15 months worth of peace, calm and growth. It’s so tempting to look around and say, “We must be doing something good.” While that may be true, it’s more true that God is doing something great! I like what katdish said about God blessing us for HIS glory. Amen to that! May He receive ALL of the praise, honor and glory.
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Shawn Cornett
7:38 am
i fight that mentality more than i’d like to admit.
mandie´s last blog ..Sometimes the lies are deafening…
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mandie
8:34 am
All I can say is that I wrestle with the every single day!
Lord – help me never forget it is all you and not me!
Jim F.´s last blog ..God’s Pursuit
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Jim F.
8:35 am
Yes, katdish has it right. It is easy to see ourselves as entitled especially when we never leave the comfortable confines of our wealthy, comfortable country. This feeling of entitlement disappears as soon as we set foot on the tarmac of a third-world nation. We see those in desperate need and say in prayer, “Lord, how is it these children of yours suffer so much and have so little, while I am allowed to prosper? It cannot be anything I’ve done – I deserve even less than these people have. It can only be by your grace. Further Lord, I know you tell me I must be faithful in the small things in order to entrusted with the greater. Help me to use what you’ve given me not to enrich my ego but to enrich the lives of others.”
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Mike in Milwaukee
8:38 am
Coming from parent’s who were extreme narcissists and taking on those personality traits as a young adult, I struggle with this everyday. It has been only through the saving grace of Christ that I have been able to overcome this. But, Christ is not finished with me today, and I will remain in him.
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Pete Wilson Reply:
May 17th, 2010 at 8:57 am
Thanks for being so honest Sarah.
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Sarah H
8:42 am
Hey Pete,
Thanks so much. God has been impressing on me that most of what I have been doing has been in my own strength. I think where the entitlement issue comes in here, is that I do everything I can humanly do and then expect God to bless it!
I calls us to the impossible so that we know it’s from Him and not us. When we find ourselves there we are not there with a spirit of entitlement, but one of grace.
Thank you!
Dave
Dave Baldwin´s last blog ..Sunday Evening Reflections:
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Dave Baldwin
8:44 am
I struggle with this everyday!
Becky´s last blog ..Biltmore House
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Becky
8:52 am
My wife and I recently learned what it is to do with out all those things we had allowed to become common place in our lives. In fact we were to the point that either God stepped in or the unknown was going to win.
It is easy to see God’s provisions in those moments of dyer need because we are so desperately looking for them. You see every little detail as a huge pull through from God. But when we have it all, we don’t need anything, and we aren’t looking for God to pull through, we become blind to what he is doing for us. As a result we believe it is us who is worthy of the gifts and the praise, creating this empire of entitlement
Thanks for the post, and the generated thoughts!
Mason Stanley´s last blog ..New Mini-Segment – Church Guest: Fellowship of the Parks
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Mason Stanley
9:03 am
A youth pastor once told me that when we fall into this trap of entitlement or thinking that it is all our doing and not God’s grace, he may “kick all our props from underneath us” in order to bring us back to him. It has happened to me more times than I would like to admit.
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Sabrina Baker
9:07 am
I am so guilty of this, thanks for having the guts to write about it. Every day my prayer has been for humility.. too many times has my pride/ego ruined good things.
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Pete R
9:21 am
“luxuries can begin to seem like necessities. Excess can become normal”
I returned from Africa Friday night. I found myself struggling w/all of the “stuff” around me… mostly the “noise” –
“stuff noise”
“electronic noise”
“clutter noise”
“distraction noise”
so I spent most of the wkend at my house so I would not lose the lesson that Africa taught me which is that LESS is most of the time much MORE. thanks for the reminder!
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Pete Wilson Reply:
May 17th, 2010 at 9:48 am
Mission trips have enforced these principles in me over and over and over again.
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Jenny
9:24 am
I struggle with this all the time.
Where it fleshes itself out is in the reality that I start to feel entitled to an outcome.
I start to think things are going to happen because I deserve it or that I am going to be able to have what I want.
I run scenarios through my head so far in advance that I get very disappointed when they do not turn out the way that I imagined them. It can overtake my life because I expect results and I expect others to live up to my expectations. It really comes down to being about me.
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kyle
9:38 am
Not pulling any punches today Pete =)
I think this is one of the hardest things for a Christian to really wrap their heads around. In a world that teaches us “Go, go, go…do, do, do” it is hard to keep in the forefront of our minds where everything is coming from. Being raised in a fairly low income family, I learned quickly not to rely on anyone to take care of me but myself. Obviously I have a hard time truly letting go of the reins, but I am trying, and God is working on me daily.
Thanks for the thought provoking post!
Kim´s last blog ..Judgement
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Kim
10:19 am
This is a good reminder for us…
I’m constantly being reminded to “beware of self-effort”. God reminds me quite often that I am and have because He is the one to “increase”.
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Manda
10:49 am
The trap leading into the empire is baited so attractively and seductively. When we were in South Africa, this was something on our minds alot, and God reminded us of Luke 12:48: “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required…”
Seeing our life through the eyes of our daughter, and the kids in her orphanage, put it all in a whole different perspective.
We remind our kids, and ourselves, that everything – all of it – is a gift from God. Stuff. Family. Success. Relationships. And we are working individually, and as a family, to be good stewards of His gifts. Much easier to do when we’re focused on Him, rather than on ourselves. Comes down to abiding, rather than visiting, I think. And for me, that’s a battle.
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Cindy
11:24 am
I needed this today… Thanks Pete
Tom hypes´s last blog ..Nashville Flooding Help
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Tom hypes
11:28 am
Pete, thanks bro for the timely word. We all battle the “entitlement” mindset at times. Not just in the good times but also in the difficult and dark days as well. Proud of you bro. I remember taking classes in Nashville with you and Brady Cooper from New Vision. God has truly been good. Praying for NASHVILLE! Joel
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Pete Wilson Reply:
May 17th, 2010 at 7:47 pm
Brady Cooper is a great man and pastor. Thanks for bringing him up. I need to call him and check in. It’s been a while since we’ve chatted.
Hope things are going well Joel.
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Joel Carwile Reply:
May 18th, 2010 at 8:42 pm
Pete, my family and I are in Louisville, Kentucky at Valley View Church. I pastored Bethlehem Church in Lickskillet for over 13 and half years. About to celebrate our 3rd year here in June. We are having a blast. I’ll never forget you leaving class early one evening so you could go home and cuddle with your bride to watch the Academy Awards. Keep cuddling bro! Finish well and finish strong. Was touched to hear about one of your mentors going on to heaven. When Moses leaves the scene, Joshua must press on! Blessings to you and your great church. Joel, Jo and Zeke
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Joel Carwile
11:30 am
i don’t like to be reminded of my past sins. but i know from where i’ve come. and i know my guilt was taken from me, no questions. so it’s not difficult giving God the glory for the good he brings in my life.
when we find ourselves willing to take credit for all we’ve accomplished, we need to ask ourselves if we’re also willing to take credit for all the sins we’ve committed.
JamesBrett´s last blog ..slaughter of a pig
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JamesBrett
11:53 am
I wish I didn’t put on the air of entitlement.
But it’s true; I really do believe at times I deserve things.
Suck.
Going away with my tail curled up between my legs…
Thank you for this.
Becca´s last blog ..Blanket Yourself.
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Becca
12:35 pm
Moreso than I’d like to admitt.
Father forgive me.
Michael´s last blog ..Living With Yourself After Watching A Bad Movie
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Michael
12:53 pm
Um, wow. This is one of those posts that you love/hate to read – mostly because it’s very true. This immediately made me think “God gives and takes away”. I think that this has hit home for me because of what Nashville is currently experiencing. Evan and I really try to keep each other in check about this very thing – especially what is “excess”. How much is too much? We try to remind ourselves that while God gives and God takes away – we’ve experienced BOTH very recently – that God always provides what WE NEED. And more importantly, what HE KNOWS WE NEED. Sometimes that looks a lot different than what we think that it needs to look like, but we can look back and see his hand in everything. Wow – just got carried away there, didn’t I? Anyway, thanks for the reminder.
Rachel´s last blog ..Nashville is currently experiencing a downpour.
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Rachel
1:43 pm
Great reminder that it is Him who gives me the ability to create…Jars of clay. thank you!
Tom Raines´s last blog ..Today’s Affirmation: By the Grace of God I am what I am
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Tom Raines
6:08 am
I think my Plan Bs keep me conscious during the moments I step inside the Empire of Entitlement. Not to say I don’t succumb to feeling left out… but, the lessons learned keep me reigned in. Lessons of being loved and forgiven. His grace brings me back each time I need saving.
Faith Barista | Bonnie´s last blog ..Plan B: Putting Down My Magic Slate
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Faith Barista | Bonnie
9:13 am
I love the swagger wagon. can’t wait to read plan b, looks great for many people right now.
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Libby
9:52 am
Dr. Larry Crabb’s book “66 Love Letters” has this theme running all through it! Since reading this book I have seen areas where I have an attitude of entitlement that I never would have expected in a million years.
Your post has a great perspective on the issue that most of us face to one extent or another (well, those of us living in the U.S. probably.)
Cindy Graves´s last blog ..Action Required…
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Cindy Graves
3:52 pm
i get nauseated by others’ entitlement… but when i’m most honest with myself, i realize that i have a lot of entitlement buried in my own heart as well. i need to get just as sick over my own sin as i do about others’…
alece´s last blog ..fajitas with my friend
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alece
12:05 am
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