Entitlement

“Entitlement”

On June 1, 2024 I woke up to “Entitlement”. I said, okay Holy Spirit-‘entitlement’ and recorded the word ‘entitlement’ on my phone. I wanted to get back to sleep. Four separate times I was awakened to ‘Entitlement’. Each time I recorded. This is how Holy Spirit laid it out.

Entitlement-is the belief that one is inherently deserving of privileges or special treatment.

Be careful about ‘entitlement mentality’. I’m referring to when a person feels they are entitled to a position, place, title or relationship. Believing that you are entitled can land you on a slippery slope; when your sense of entitlement causes you to demand that things happen your way. Don’t allow entitlement to place you in a position where you are opposing the will of God.

• We want our lives to reflect the perfect will of God
• Insisting things happen according to your understanding, opinion, and outlook is demanding control
• God is in control and can do a New Thing; God can do Anything.

Who can stop the Hand of God? No one can and no one will. God raises up people and he sits people down. As Believers we are accustomed to answered prayer. We expect God to answer our prayers. The Lord is always faithful to perform his word. However, God does not have to act the way we expect Him to.

With all of our knowledge, relationship and history with God we are still dependent on His grace, mercy, and timing. And though we exercise our faith—we are ultimately not in full control. God may tell you ‘No’, even when you feel entitled to a ‘yes’. Our prayer position is to proceed with the awareness and caution, to remain on the Lord’s side of the situation.

Remain subject to Holy Spirit’s navigation in our life. Don’t rebel against what you witness God doing. Rather, yield to the Father’s will. When we have done all that we know to do. When we have stood on the Word of God and prayed our effectual and fervent prayers. We conclude—Lord not my will but Your perfect will be done.

When you feel that you should have control in areas, that you refuse to Release to God, you need to reject the ungodly spirit of entitlement. You may in fact be entitled, by the worlds standards, but the outcome is still up to God.

Entitlement can masquerade itself as, ‘what’s in the best interest of the team’. There is a fine balance between entitlement and coming under a controlling spirit where it is all about personal desire. Entitlement is dressed up pride. Pride goes before a fall.

A controlling spirit is not of God. It can lead to unspoken threats, intimidation, manipulation, secret anger, fear tactic, and outright rebellion. Entitlement often shows up in varying close knit relationships. Entitlement occurs when one party demands another party do what they want.

The sense of entitlement can be so strong that the party(s) disregard Holy Spirit in the room-so to speak. One person or party(s) entitlement can cause the other party to have fear of the consequences of not giving in to the spoken or unspoken demand. Power belongs to God! “God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongs unto God” Psalm 62:11.

Holy Spirit gave me a picture of a house that appears to be in good condition on the outside. A well maintained house. How he gave this problem of ‘entitlement’ to me is by looking at the outside of this house.

H.S. What do you think?

Me. I think this house looks pretty good, probably energy efficient as well.

H.S. We have to look again and see what the condition of the house is on the inside.

Me. It looks good on the inside also.

H.S. Let’s go throughout the whole house and look.

Me. Okay, I see it needs a little tidying up.

H.S. Did you look in every room?

Me. No, I’ll go and look in all the rooms now.

H.S. How would you clean this house?

Me. I would probably start on the main floor since that’s the first part of the house anyone would see.

H.S. Alright let’s get started.

Me. I’m tidying up the main room (Living room)—light surface cleaning. As I work my way through the main floor I notice a pattern. The inside of the house can look good needing light tidying up. On the surface we may only need to organize and dust a little.

H.S. What do you think about the results of your cleaning?

Me. We can do a surface clean but some areas we need to do a deeper cleaning because of the repeated pattern.

H.S. But if we dig deeper we notice there is disarray throughout the house?

Me. It’s not really all that bad but a little bad in a lot of areas can mean further investigation is needed to fix the problem.

H.S. Dig Deeper. Do a deep clean-then get to the root of the problem.

Entitlement is like looking at the outside of the house. Everything looks great. However, there are issues on the inside of the house. You may assume the inside only needs a little work. When a person operates out of a spirit of entitlement, they appear good on the outside. When you look inside and realize that surface cleaning won’t solve the issue.

But when we dig deeper and further investigate the hidden areas of the heart we get a clearer picture. We may find things that must be deep cleaned and uprooted. Subtle Things like:

• Spiritual pride- “I deserve this” “I earned it”
• Control- Privately praying, “I demand it”
• Manipulation- Thinking, spoken/unspoken, “My way or I’ll stop my resources and my support”

These are ways the enemy comes in and tries to devour or halt the move and plans of God within a family; within a territory, within an entire nation. We all need each other. The entitlement spirit usually flows from the top and works it’s way downward. It is true that there are times we ‘feel’ we deserve a particular thing. Maybe we reflect, but “I earned this”.

The sneaky thing about entitlement is that without recognizing it—it places us in opposition to God and what He desires to do in us and through us. Entitlement tries to latch on to those who are very important and essential to the mission. It is a lying and deceiving spirit to make people feel that without them, the work won’t get done. It’s subtle because it really is an attack against God’s valuable vessels.

Although subtle, entitlement tries to bring in division and silent contention among key figures and decision makers. Entitlement tries to penetrate itself into the ears and hearts of people with levels of authority.

Entitlement is dangerous because it’s much bigger than the one who feels entitled. It’s ugly and it has an underhanded purpose — “Stop the will of God”. The person or parties experiencing entitlement are precious to God; special-the elect of God. Deeply loved of God.

Protect the House

The enemy called entitlement never stops trying to get into our house. He may try the front door, back door, then basement window, kitchen window, crawl space; each window, each door. He often shows up during times of transition or times of refilling, and replenishing.

Entitlement will try to slip in when someone opens the door to unload the car and bring the groceries in. When your hands are full. You manage to unlock the door and take a handful of groceries in (y’all know we need our food). Then you go back to the car to get more groceries out (because you are blessed like that). Entitlement sneaks in as soon as you turn your back and start focusing on the rest of your good groceries; that are still in the car.

Entitlement gets in and goes and hides out inside your house. You put your groceries up and tidy up. You cook your good dinner but can’t shake the feeling that something is off! You look all around your house but don’t notice anything. You ‘decide’, let me go in the basement and look around too (the foundation).

You venture into the basement and ‘something doesn’t feel right’. You glance around and nothing. But you still sense that something is ‘off’. Outside looks good, inside looks good on the surface. You can’t shake the feeling that something is just off.

You proceed to check out every room in the house. You begin to picture this one area in the basement (foundation) that you didn’t actually check out. It’s a tall stack of storage containers and boxes that has been there forever on the right side of the basement.

You continue working around your house but your mind keeps going to the stack of storage containers that’s been there forever. You decide—let me go back to the basement since I can’t shake this thing.

You return to your basement and suddenly rearrange the top 2 containers on the stack, that’s when Entitlement stands up! Entitlement is looking at you and you are looking at Entitlement. You realize-

You: Hey wait a minute. What’s going on-we’re on the same team? I thought you are my close friend. How? Why are you hiding out in my house like this? What’s happening here???

*****You already know Entitlement cares about you and you care about Entitlement.*****

*****Entitlement has good friends*****

You: Entitlement—When did you come in my house?

Entitlement: I’m entitled to come in this house!!! I tried all the windows, and doors but couldn’t get in. So our friend told me that you were going grocery shopping today, so I came in!

*****You know Entitlement can be bold at times.*****

Now, How are we going to handle this situation, as a family, Peacefully because a house divided against itself can’t stand?

• Matthew 12:25 But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.
• Matthew 12:28 But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.

Since I miss nursing and loving on my patients—I’ll give this analogy. The Nursing Process simplified: ADPIE

Assess-Identify the problem— Entitlement came in here like a thief on assignment but our Entitlement is not really a thief. The thief tricked Entitlement and thereby tricked us as well, and had the audacity to enter our home. Now we have the problem identified.

Diagnose-The diagnosis is Entitlement- the belief that one is inherently deserving of privileges or special treatment. A faulty belief system developed.

Plan-Kick the thief out of the house (not the person(s). Holy Spirit instructed us to dig deeper, deep clean, dig up and get to the root, then uproot. Reject the ungodly spirit and dismantle it from the roots. Expose the shredded roots to the Son and they will shrivel up and die.

• “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” Matthew 18:19-20
• As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. Ephesians 4: 1-6
• Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. Ephesians 4:25-27
• Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:32

Implement the Plan through the following Interventions:

• Prayer
• Honest Reflection and Repentance
• Forgiveness
• Fruit of the Spirit- But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23
• Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Evaluate the Outcome—

• Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Romans 12:9
• Dissimulation means the fact of trying to hide your real feelings, character, or intentions.

In closing, I pray that we each examine our own houses to make sure that Entitlement is not lurking around.

Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

Jude vs. 24-25