How To Deal With Discontent | Chad Veach

0:00 Hey, what's going on, everybody? Thank you so much for joining us for this week's message from Zoe Church. We are going to jump into Psalm 23. Turn in your Bible, it says Psalm 23. Before we jump into the message, I just want to say thank you to every person that's a part of our church that does not live in L.A. We love you, and we're praying for you during this fast. We're on the last week of 21 days of prayer and fasting. Thank you for joining with us, and we're praying for a great start to your 2026. If you'd like to give today, go to our website, and you can give your tithe or your offering there. But let's jump in to this week's message called Dealing With My Discontent. Psalm 23, maybe the second most famous scripture in the Bible. First most famous, probably John 3, 16.

0:55 Psalm 23, right after it. Psalm 23 says, the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. Ooh, do I like that scripture right there. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not, what's the last word? Want. I shall not want. What the Bible's saying, if I got God, I'm good. If I've got God, I'm blessed. I want to preach a message today. we're in a series called we want you here we want god here we're inviting god in our life write down the title of today's message is called dealing with my discontent i want to talk to you about how discontent you've been because a lot of people struggle with discontent because we want to have more and we want to go further so i'm not happy with what i have and i'm not happy with where I'm at. I think when you follow God, you should be happy with what you got and where you are. I'm thankful for my family. I'm thankful for my city. I'm thankful for my church, and I'm thankful for the city that God blessed. Come on, clap if you're thankful today.

2:09 But I think the reason why you're so discontent is you were born into a culture that always wants more, a culture that everything's about the next thing. You think about it. From the time you were a kid, it's all about next. You get into TK. You're like, I can't wait to get into elementary. You get into elementary. Like, I can't wait to go to middle school. You get into middle school. like I can't wait for high school. You're in high school. Can't wait to go to college. You're in college. I can't wait to go get a job. You get your job. You're like, I can't wait to get married. You get married. I can't wait to have a kid. You have kids. You're like, I can't wait for my kids to leave. you're just never satisfied, never content. But I want to tell you that when you've got God in your life, the Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. God is enough for me. God has been good to me. God is faithful. God, I don't need Jesus to add anything to my life. I'm thankful for his mercy in my world.

3:22 You know, I love Lamentations chapter three. It says in verse 22, God's loyal love couldn't have run out. His merciful love couldn't have dried up. They're created new every morning. How great your faithfulness. I'm sticking with God. I say it over and over. He's all I've got. See, when I realized I don't have, listen, I came into this world with nothing. I'm leaving this world with nothing. God is all I got. And the problem is most of us were going like, no, no, I'm going to be happy when I get there. I'm going to be happy when I get this. The problem is you got there and you're still not happy. You got that and you're still not satisfied. Have you come to recognize that the only thing that will satisfy, the only thing that will fulfill is the presence of the living God. It's not more stuff. It's more of God.

4:20 Yeah, I just want to encourage you. If you've not been doing the fast with us, if you have yet to do the fast, take the next seven days from tomorrow to next Sunday and fast and pray with us. because what we're saying is I didn't need any of that stuff. That stuff doesn't define me. What defines me is who I am in Jesus. And I'm going to deal with this discontent to get back to a place where I go, the Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. You know, the guy that wrote this, his name is David. David is the guy that they would throw parades for. David is the guy that won many battles. David is the guy that had it all. David is the guy that knew what it was like to have a lot. And he would knew what it was like to have a little. And he said, through life, I've learned the Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. If I've got God, I don't lack anything. The problem for most of us is we get into life and we go like, man, I need, I'm going to be happy. It's just, I got to get that and I got to get there.

5:23 and if I, oh, just trust me, it's just, once I get that, I'm gonna, no, no, you need to pause and you need to go back and you need to remember God's faithfulness. In fact, can you write that down, number one today? Remember how faithful God has been in your life, that God has been better than you deserve and he has been greater than you could imagine. God has been faithful all the days of your life, and he has no plans on quitting on you yet. Amen? And so I got to remember God's faithfulness. Because sometimes, see, I think that you need a certain level of amnesia. Like I think spiritual amnesia is important. The Bible says, forgetting what is behind, I press forward to what's ahead. So you do need to have some amnesia. Have y'all seen this 2016 viral trend that's going on? Thank God some of y'all are out of 2016. I've seen some of your outfits. Thank the Lord. Clap that you're delivered from 2016. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.

6:34 I know it was the blood that got you out of that. And you need to forget, you need to forget summer 2016, but don't forget what God's done. Don't forget God has brought breakthrough. God has brought miracle. God has brought provision. God has been kind. Come on, clap louder if God's been good. Psalm 103, let all that I am praise the Lord. May I never forget the good things he does for me. May I never forget. I got to forget 2016, but I won't forget what God has done in my life. Have you ever been good to somebody and they have amnesia and forgot how good you were to them? Don't point at them. Somebody over here point at them. Hater in the house.

7:29 people will have amnesia on you and forget how kind you've been to them, lest we be the same and we'll forget how kind God's been to us. No, no. I will remember, I will praise you. I will not forget the good things that you've done in my life. Have you ever sang that song by C.C. Winans? All my life you have been faithful. You know that song? Nobody ever sings that song, Deadpan. All my life you have been so, so good to me. Only person I know to sing a song like that is Chad and Ryan. That's it. everybody else is like, oh my life, you have been so, so good. Because when you remember, oh my you, you have been so good, so kind, so patient, so faithful. Oh God, how could I not give you praise?

8:33 you have been so so good to me God don't forget God's faithfulness God got you out of that mess God delivered you from your sin God called your name out of that pit God put your feet on a rock God put a new song in your mouth God delivered come on clap if you believe it was only the blood And we forget how good God's been. And then what happens? We stop being thankful. Write down number two today. Gratitude is a sign of satisfied. Oh, I love this. Gratitude when you're thankful. Ain't nothing like a thankful person. By the way, let me speak to your gratitude. Gratitude attracts miracles. Why would God want to do more for you when you're not grateful for what he's done for you. Why would God, why would God bring his best to you when you're going to look past it like it's not enough? No gratitude. There's something about the attitude of gratitude.

9:33 Give thanks to the Lord. I'm going to give my life to the worship and the gratitude of God. The Bible says in Philippians chapter four, verse six and seven, put on the screen, be anxious for nothing, but in everything through prayer and thanksgiving. Let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your heart and it will guard your mind in Christ Jesus. The Bible is saying, don't worry about anything. Pray about everything. I am only worried about the things I'm not praying about. You think I'm worried about whether the Seahawks are facing the Rams or the Bears next week? I'm a prayer warrior. we are already blessed be anxious about nothing the bible is literally saying don't worry god's in control don't worry about anything in everything give thanks see prayer is this place where i give thanks to god for past victory thank you god i am so thankful for all that you've done for my family. Thank you for what you've done for my children. Thank you, God, for this building.

10:51 Thank you, God, for my church. Thank you for my city. Thank you for health in my body. Thank you for ideas that you're bringing my way. Thank you for favor that you've put on our lives. Thank you, God. What is the old saying? Count your blessings one by what? One. Remember how good and kind God's been. But when you're discontent, you're like, wasn't enough. No, I need more. We have this practice. We have this habit. We go on a family walk in the evening and we do a loop. And on the loop, we have named this stop sign. We all gather at the stop sign because people are, Some people are on scooters, and some people are on bikes, and some people are old. And so we're not all arriving at the same time. And so we eventually arrive at this stop sign. And I've named this corner Gratitude Corner. And I go around the family.

11:45 We do different order. And I say to them, tell me the three things that you're thankful for today. And when the younger guys get going, they're like, God, family, football. And if they get creative, they go, God, family, friends. And I try and get real descriptive. I'm trying to model for them in real time what it means to count your blessing. So I look around. I say, you know what I'm thankful for this evening. Look at this beautiful sunset. I'm thankful for your mama. You know I am. I'm thankful for the dinner that we're about to eat. And I'm trying to teach my boys that it's not about entitlement. It's not about what you're owed. It's about taking the moment to say God has been good. It's been so good. Look at this screen. Familiar provision can feel like lack without gratitude. It's the same old, same old family, routine, got the same old job, same old. See, the problem is for most of us, we want to get out of the place where we have to depend on God. Lord, I want to be so blessed. I don't need you anymore. But he cooked it into the prayer. Give me my bread, my daily what? Bread. You know what the Bible says to you? You're going to depend on God for the rest of your life. There is no such thing as a faith that is not dependent upon God. I need God today more than I've ever needed him before. I need God in my house. I need God in my marriage.

13:21 I need God in our church. I need God for Zoe Conference. Come on, give me my, I need you, and I'm grateful to need your provision. Some of us, we get discontented. We're like, man, I'm still in the place where I need God. That's how he wants it. Because if you didn't need him, you do it in your own strength. And then you bring glory to your own name, and look at what I've done. Am I not awesome?

13:51 Instead, we trust in God and we go, are you not awesome? Are you not amazing? You gotta be careful with that lack of gratitude because familiar provision can feel like lack when you have no gratitude. I wanna encourage you, wake up tomorrow and say, this is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and I will be glad in it. Anybody thankful today? Anybody grateful for what you got and for where you're at? Come on, give them a clap of praise. And when you're not grateful, you're like, oh, just same old job, same old friend, same old community, same old stuff, same old bank accounts. No, no, I'm like, wow, look it. I got the same city and the same spouse. Thank God Julia is still with me. Thank you, Jesus.

14:48 You got to be grateful for what you have. Why would God give you more when you can't get to the place where you say, the Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. You got to get to that place. Write down number three, Jesus plus nothing equals everything. If I only have God, God is enough. I don't need more to be content. I don't need more to be happy or satisfied. God is enough in my life. Oh, I love that thought that God is enough. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. Because it's true. Troy Aikman, when he won his first Super Bowl in the 1800s, the Cowboys were good. it was that show 1883 that's when the cowboys were good and um and Troy Eggman won his first Super Bowl when he won his first Super Bowl he went to bed that night and he laid his head on his pillow and he thought to himself that's it that's it that's really that's it see the lie is that like man when you get that you're going to be so happy when you make that money you're going to be so satisfied. No, you're going to be happy when you go, Jesus plus nothing equals everything.

16:09 God is so enough for me because he's, if he's not enough, by the way, let me just ask you, what's, what is your number of fortune or fame? What is your, what will fill that void? What is that? What is that thing where you go like, once I get there, because I promise you, you will get there and it won't be enough because nothing from this earth can fill the void that only God can. Nothing made by man can fill a God-sized hole. You got to get to that place where it's like, if he never adds anything, the question for you today, is the cross enough? Is the presence of God enough? Put this list up on the screen. This is so, so our culture. We think that it's about money. Money feels like security. Control feels like peace. Relationships feel like validation.

17:10 Achievement feels like worth. So we go like, yeah, no, I love God. God is amazing. I love God. I go to church. And so if I've got God plus money, I'm going to be so pumped. Are you kidding me? If I get God plus relationships, 100%, I am so in on that. No, no, even money, relationships, success, or control, or power will never fill the God void in your life. And you've got to be careful because some of us, you're going to get God and go, God was good, but I need more, man. I need more. It's not quite enough. Jesus talks about this in the book of Mark in the parable of the sower. Watch this verse, Mark 4, 19. But the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. So you could once go, Jesus is everything. Jesus is my life. But after a while, Jesus is not enough. And now I need Jesus plus, I want to encourage you, encourage you. You might have Apple plus, but you don't need Jesus plus that just came to me. I was like, a hundred percent, a hundred percent. We're rolling with that. Are you kidding me? That was impromptu. Wow.

18:21 You kids, we all have no. Okay. My bad. See, we are the Julia's laughing. I don't know what y'all are doing. See, we think after a while, it's like, this, this, another fast. another one, 21 days, and God still hasn't,

18:50 and I'd be so thrilled if he would just, as opposed to go, wow, look at the cross. Look at your goodness. Look at your faithfulness. Get your love in my life. Wow. David, same guy that wrote Psalm 23. Look at what he says, Psalm 63.3. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. Your love is better than anything in this world. I'll tell you, right now, if you're single and you want to get married, we're believing that this year is a year you'll find your boo.

19:32 In the name of Jesus. And I hope you find him here at the church. better the church than the club come on somebody i hope you find them right here go fishing in your own pond but no human no human can love you like god can No human. There is a phileo love, which is a brotherly love, which I can't wait for connect groups to start. And I love community and I want you to experience friendship love. There is an eros love, which is a romance love. And I want you to experience that kind of love that God in the Bible is so clear on that God has created and designed us for. But I'll tell you the ultimate love is agape love. It is the unconditional love of Jesus that fills our empty void like nothing that this world could ever give.

20:27 put it back on the screen put it back on the screen so watch psalm 63 so what does he say because your love is better than life i'll praise you look at this next one same guy look at psalm 73 whom have i in heaven but you and on earth it has nothing i desire beside you my flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Whom have I in heaven and on earth? And I'll tell you on earth, there's none that I've desired above you, God. Because if I've got Jesus plus nothing equals everything. If I've got you, God, I am good. So I'm telling you right now, you got to remember God's faithfulness. You got to cook into your life some gratitude. You've got to get back to the place where it's just Jesus, I'm good. Come on, clap if that's your prayer. Here's the last one. Write down the last one. You've got to worship with no strings attached. We live in this culture that's all transaction. If I scratch your back, you scratch my back. If it's tick, then it's tack. If I do something good for you, you're going to do something good for me. I give my tithe because I want more. No, I give my tithe because I'm blessed. And you got to stop your worship. Don't pray and fast because I'm going to get this and I'm going to get there. No, I pray and fast not to get God on my agenda. I'm praying and fasting to get my life on God's agenda.

22:10 And I wonder if you've started to treat God on terms and conditions. I wonder if you started to follow Jesus like, I'm going to go to church, but you know I'm here because I want. You know I'm fasting and praying because you better. You better.

22:34 And yeah, I'm going to give my money, but I'm going to give my money because I want more money. No, these are terms and conditions. This is treating God like he's a transactional God. Jesus gave his very best on the cross and died a brutal death. And I do not worship God for what he does. I worship God for who he is. and I got I gotta I gotta convince you today to get to the place where if God never does another thing for you he's still worthy of your best praise come on clap if you believe that today if he never does another come on clap if you really believe that today lord if you if you never did one more thing it's it's already been enough and let me just say this god let me just say this it's not that it's all it's already been enough you already are enough.

23:39 I'm not trying to say it last week, but most of us, we want to have the blessing without spending time with the blesser. Transaction. Conditions. Terms. Yeah, I'll go to church. I'll go to church. But I'm gonna go to church if I get.

24:00 Sure, I'll worship God, but fast and praise, sure. But I just got to ask real fast, like, God, what's in it for me? and God's like, I gave you my one and my only son who took your place and died a brutal death, and he died so that you can live. Is that not enough?

24:24 Rather getting to the place where I don't worship for what God can do for me, I worship God because he's holy, he's worthy, he's faithful, he's merciful, he's compassionate, Amen. seated on the throne Isaiah is in the temple. and he says in the year of king Uzziah's death I saw the lord seated on the throne and the train of his robe filled the temple and I said, woe is me, for I'm a man of unclean lips. He didn't see the Lord in the temple and go, so glad you're here. I've got a few requests.

25:25 I was hoping you'd show up because I've got an agenda for you. When God showed up, he didn't ask for anything. He just said, Lord, here am I. Send me, Lord. here's my life here's all that I have you are powerful mighty awesome you are the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of come on clap if you believe it today I don't need anything from you God I don't need anything from you I'm asking what can I do for you see if you really saw God your requests would vanish have you noticed the more time you spend with God all your requests just fade into the background and your agenda goes to the middle of the parking lot because you get into the presence of god and you say i don't have an agenda you are the agenda i've been discontent i've been dealing with jealousy and envy and greed but i've been free by the blood of the lamb give them a praise if you know what the presence of god can do to somebody that's been feeling like why am i so unhappy why am i so ungrateful why is it not enough come on stand to your feet today it'll never be enough it'll never be enough it'll never be enough middle school high school college it'll never be enough it'll never be enough till you get out of that place of wanting and you get into that place of thanking you get out of that place of needing and you get out of that place of praise get into that place of praising come Come on, I feel like worshiping God with no strings attached.

27:02 I feel like worshiping God not because of what he'll do. I say we worship God because of who he is. Anybody believe that he's holy today? Anybody believe that he's worthy today? Anybody believe he's awesome today? Oh, come on, everybody. Come on, let's worship God. Again, thank you so much for listening to this week's message. We pray that it brought you great strength and great encouragement. We're believing that God does great things during this fast. and we'll see you back next Sunday at Zoya.