The spirit itself tries to consume by surrounding me around people who take advantage of me and try to manipulate their way into my life through false pretenses. Has this happened to you? Have you found yourself, or someone you know that only seems to care about themselves, and no one elses’? Does it seem like no matter what you do to please them, it’s never good enough or they are always requiring “MORE”? Let’s examine the root of the word “self” from Merriam Webster’s Dictionary: 1: concerned excessively or exclusively with oneself : seeking or concentrating on one’s own advantage, pleasure, or well-being without regard for others 2: arising from concern with one’s own welfare or advantage in disregard of others 3: being an actively replicating repetitive sequence of nucleic acid that serves no known function ; also : being genetic material solely concerned with its own replication Selfishness can cause you to loose friends, relationships, and even blessings if you aren’t careful. I am sure it hurts when you put your all into something or someone, and they continue to take, and take, and take without being grateful.

That is a painful feeling. Sometimes, this is how we treat God. We go about our lives on a daily basis doing what we want, acting how we want, saying what we want, and having no knowledge or sincerity of how God is feeling about the issue. We can even be selfish in our prayers. Praying what “we” think is right, when it is not the Will of God. This is a selfish world. Acts 2:40 says: “And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” God wants to save us from a wicked generation. Our thoughts, our actions, our deeds are a reflection upon what is going on inside of us. If you have been blessed most of your life, and get upset when someone doesn’t do what you want, when you want it, then you are being selfish! Let’s look at some examples of selfishness and see if you or someone close to you are being selfish:

You or someone does not like to share

You or someone always wants people to see things from your point of view. Not equal.

Rude and condescending

Lack of emotion other people’s feelings

Always wanting to have things done your way. Its your way or the highway.

They have millions and billions of dollars, try to horde it all, and want to show the world they “got it all”. They are missing the key ingredient in their live…LOVE! If more people operated in true love, there would be less selfishness and more compassion. Remember the song “Brother Can You Spare A Dime?”. I think about that term…SPARE. The Bible says that if you sow bountifully, you will reap bountifully, 2 Corinthians 9:6. Being selfish is a destructive behaviour that can lead to sorrow and loneliness. I would never want to be known as a person who is selfish and not giving. If you or someone you know is operating in that spirit, go to God in prayer. Ask him to show that situation to you in a way that you can help manage it. You will be surprised what a little prayer can do.