“Two Columns of Contentment”
 The Prayer of Agur
Text: Proverbs 30:7-9—Prayer of Agur: “Two things I ask of You, Lord; do not refuse me before I die:  Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.       Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God. “

Agur asked for two things:  (1) Remove falsehood and lies far from me.  Man had a perfect life in the Garden of Eden but it was destroyed when they believed the lies of Satan that there was something more.  Their contentment was destroyed.  Our prayer should be that God would place a force field around us to protect us from Satan’s lies.  (2) Give me my daily bread.  This shows the importance of trusting God for all we need.  Pride can cause us to think we don’t need God and treat others as if they have no worth.  To stay in the Contentment Zone, we should be grateful for our blessings.

How can we guard ourselves against discontentment?  Be a better gatekeeper: Be careful what we allow in our minds and what we see and hear. Practice 10-minute pause:  We should give ourselves space to consider if what we plan to do is based on truth or on a lie? Get a better bucket list for a good life:  The book of Proverbs is full of things that are better. Example: Proverbs 15:16 “Better a little with the fear of the Lord than great wealth with turmoil.”

Philippians 4:12-13:  Paul said that he had learned the secret of being content in any situation and could do all this through Him who gives strength.