It seems ridiculous to articulate that if you had a wish granting spirit that gave you everything you wanted, you will never find happiness and fulfillment. This seems counterintuitive, but think about it. When you are driven by a selfish agenda, you will seek to maximise profits for yourself in everything. This will lead down the path towards greed and wickedness. You will no longer find happiness in the simple things. (The Ecclesiastes wrote that “the full stomach (greed) of the rich [who hungers for even more] will not let him sleep”). And your relationships will suffer as you become incapable of attracting real friends or even enemies that respect you. A god that is at your service and grants your selfish requests will kill you.
Never forget that the complete counsel of the sacred, holy writings admonishes us to pray according to the will of God. Asking for things we know is in line with what God wants. The Lord did say, “In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you” (John 16:23 ESV). However, we are also taught that, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions” (James 4:3 ESV).
Ego is the enemy. There is a part of you that wants everything to be about you. This part of you wants attention and instant gratification. Your ego pushes you towards acquiring more stuff. You want more riches, more honour and more fame. However, if you are honest with yourself, you already know that you can never find fulfillment and satisfaction from following the promptings of your ego. This is the reason you must reject any religion or spirituality that exalts you and your ego. The first call from Jesus is not a call to riches, fame or power. It is a call to discipline and learning. It will bring you to that place of brokenness and alignment with the Almighty God’s counsel for your life.
