Pathway to Victory

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Hey podcast listeners. Thanks for streaming today's podcast from Pathway to Victory and Dr. Robert Jeffress.

We're dedicated to bringing you bold biblical teaching that transforms your life and strengthens your walk with God.

And you can study God's word alongside Dr. Jeffress in person on the 2026 Pathway to Victory Cruise to Alaska.

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Have you ever witnessed the breathtaking majesty of massive glaciers rising from crystal blue waters? Or stood in awe as bald eagles.

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Soar over snow capped mountain? I want you to experience these unforgettable moments with me on the Pathway to Victory Cruise to Alaska, June 13th through 20th, 2026.

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Join Dr. Jeffress and the Pathway to Victory family for a spectacular seven-day adventure aboard Holland America's luxurious Koningsdam.

Indulge in elegant staterooms, world-class dining, and expansive decks perfect for breathtaking views.

Visit historic ports like Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan, where wilderness and frontier history await.

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There's something powerful about connecting with God.

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And fellow believers in the majesty of his untamed wilderness. I truly believe this journey will refresh you spiritually, physically and emotionally.

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Cabins are filling quickly, so reserve yours today. To book your spot on the 2026 Pathway to Victory cruise to Alaska, call 888-280-6747 or go to ptv.org now here's today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.

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Hi, this is Robert Jeffress and I'm glad to study God's Word with you every day on this Bible teaching program. On today's edition of Pathway to Victory.

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Contentment allows us to enhance rather than diminish God's reputation.

Well, how do we do that? Remember, Paul said it doesn't come naturally. We have to learn the secret of contentment.

Let me today, in the few moments we have left, just share with you two practical ways to learn that secret of contentment.

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Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor Dr. Robert Jeffress. The constant need to acquire more is a harsh and unrelenting master. But you don't have to wait until heaven to experience satisfaction in your circumstances.

Today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffress shares the biblical keys to developing a content heart. It's a message from our series on the seven marks of a disciple.

But first, let's take a minute to hear some important ministry updates.

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Thanks David, and welcome again to Pathway to Victory. Talk to anyone who's amassed a fortune and they're likely to admit that the craving for more is insatiable.

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Enough is never enough.

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Someone once asked the tycoon John D. Rockefeller this: how much money is enough? And Rockefeller responded glibly. He said, just a little bit more. Unbridled ambition is what drives so many people in America today. And in a moment, we'll be talking about how to resist this unhealthy tendency to chase what can never be caught.

At Pathway to Victory, we intentionally celebrate the countercultural values that are taught in the Bible. We're offering our listeners the wisdom of scripture that defies conventional thinking. Along those lines, we'd like to send you a brand new inspirational book that breaks with cultural trends. This resource is devotional in nature and intended to help you understand how to enrich your life not with more activity and possessions, but with a truly satisfying spiritual makeover that draws you closer to God.

It's not a lengthy book. Instead, it features brief inspirational entries that are complemented by a Bible verse and a short prayer. We're calling this resource Encouragement for the Heart of a Disciple. And right now, you're invited to request a copy when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory.

We'll say more about the book and other resources a little later in today's program, but right now, let's turn our attention to God's Word and a message titled Developing a Content Heart.

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Today we're going to discover that being content with what God has already provided you is one of the marks of a true disciple of Jesus Christ. Now, is that really possible? Is it really possible to live with that satisfaction with what God has already done for you? You know, there are two great illustrations in the Bible of contentment that teach us two different lessons about contentment. First of all, when you look at Jesus, his life reminds us that contentment really is possible in this life. But secondly, in the life of the Apostle Paul, we learn that contentment has to be learned. Contentment has to be learned.

You know, the fact is, we don't naturally feel content. In fact, it's discontent that is a part of our DNA, and we got it all the way back. You can trace it to our original parents, Adam and Eve. Remember, they were in the garden. God had given them all of these trees to enjoy, but where was their attention drawn? Not to all that God had given them, but to the one thing he forbade them to indulge in. What is the heart of a contented heart? Well, it's the belief that God has already provided to me everything I need to be satisfied in life. That's what contentment is. It is the conviction that God has already provided to me everything that I need to be satisfied in life. And that conviction leads to three tangible benefits.

First of all, contentment allows you to enjoy where we are rather than where we want to be. When we are content, we're able to enjoy where we are rather than where we want to be. You know, all of us suffer from what I call destination sickness. You know what destination sickness is? It's that idea that when we get to a certain place, then we can really be happy. You know, Jesus, as he knelt in Gethsemane, John 17, could have said to God, "God, when I ascend back into heaven, when I'm in your presence, then I can experience true joy." But he didn't say that. Jesus' joy wasn't postponed to the future. He experienced it even under the most adverse circumstances. The same with the Apostle Paul. In Philippians 2:17, he said, "But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifices and service of your faith, that is, even if I'm about to spill out my blood on the ground for you, I rejoice and I share my joy with you all." Contentment allows us to enjoy where we are rather than where we dream of being one day.

Secondly, contentment allows us to appreciate rather than resent other people. James said that in James 4:1. He said, "What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you?" He said, "Look at the conflicts you're having with other people. What is the real source of those conflicts?" And then he answers his own question. "Is not the source your pleasures, that is, your desires that wage war in the members of your own body? You lust and you don't have, so you commit murder?" Sometimes chasing for that thing we don't have leads to our actually taking somebody else's life or taking their possessions. Other times it's more subtle than that. He said, "You are envious and cannot obtain, so you fight and you quarrel." Think for a moment about the person that you love to criticize. Isn't it true that many times at the root of your conflict with them is you're envious of something they have that you don't have? The Bible says we will never be able to appreciate other people until we have this feeling of contentment. Contentment allows you to appreciate rather than resent others.

Thirdly, a benefit of contentment is that it allows us to enhance rather than diminish God's reputation. Listen to Jesus' words in Matthew 6:31-32. He said, "Don't be anxious, then saying, 'What shall we eat? Or what shall we drink? With what shall we clothe ourselves?' For all of these things the Gentiles eagerly seek. But your Heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things." What Jesus is saying is unbelievers have every right to worry about their food and their clothing and somebody taking care of them because they don't have a heavenly Father. But you do. He's going to take care of you. Don't be like they are. You see, you and I are a living advertisement for God the Father. Those of us who claim to have God as our Father, we're like a television commercial that people are watching. When people hear us say, "We are Christians," they say, "Okay, let's see how that's working out for you." And if we're always complaining to people about what we don't have, if we're chasing after the same things they're chasing after to find satisfaction in life, we are a poor advertisement for what it means to be a follower of God. If people look at our lives and don't see any difference from their own lives, they'll say, "Thanks, but no thanks" to what you're offering me today.

You know, to be a disciple of Christ means to have the same life purpose that Jesus had. In John 17:4, he said, "I glorify thee, O God on earth, having accomplished the work which Thou hast given me to do." Jesus said, "My one purpose was to glorify you, God." It's our purpose as well. You know, to glorify God means simply to make God look good to other people. That's why we're here, so that when people look at our lives who claim to follow God, they're drawn to God himself. And contentment is one way we draw people to God. John Piper said it best when he said, "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him." Contentment allows us to enhance rather than diminish God's reputation.

Well, how do we do that? Remember, Paul said it doesn't come naturally. We have to learn the secret of contentment. Let me today, in the few moments we have left, just share with you two practical ways to learn that secret of contentment. First of all, make it a habit to regularly express gratitude to God. Regularly express gratitude to God. You know, just as light and darkness cannot exist together, one will expel the other. Light will either extinguish darkness or darkness will extinguish light. But you can't have light and darkness together. The same is true with contentment. It is impossible for discontent and gratitude to exist in the same heart. Did you know that you can't be discontented and grateful at the same time? Discontent will extinguish gratitude, or gratitude will extinguish your discontent.

I think about the story we don't have time to look at in Luke 17:11-19. Remember the 10 lepers who were healed by Jesus? They left, and only one thought to come back and thank Jesus for what he had done. Jesus craved gratitude. God, our Father, craves our gratitude. I mean, just imagine, you have two children, and one of your children is always griping about what you haven't done for them. "Why can't I have this bike? Why can't I have this computer game? Why do I not have what my friends have?" Always complaining. Your other child is one who is always thanking you for what you've done. The slightest thing you do, they express gratitude to you. For which child are you most likely to want to do more? For the ungrateful child? Or the one whose heart is filling, overflowing with thanksgiving? Why do you think God is different than we are in that way? You know, the reason we tend to reward those who are grateful to us is that we are made in the image of God. That's the way God is. God rewards those who express gratitude to him.

But an even greater reason for expressing gratitude to God is not so we can get more, but gratitude has the ability to quench that insatiable desire for more. Mark Buchanan, a great Christian writer and pastor, writes about an experience he had going on a mission trip in Africa. They went to a particular worship service in Uganda, and everybody was joining in and worshiping God that morning. Everybody was having a good time except Mark. He writes, "I was too sour to join in the service. The music sounded squawky. I was miffed at someone on our missions team. I found the food bland and tasteless. I was feeling deprived and misunderstood. I found the joy of others hollow. I was miserable, and I wanted to wallow in it." And then the pastor stood up and asked if anybody had something they wanted to share.

"Oh, brothers and sisters, I love Jesus so much," a woman stood up and said. "Tell us, sister. Tell us why you love Jesus." The Ugandans shouted back, "Oh, I love him so much I don't even know where to begin. He is so good to me. Where do I begin to tell you how good he is to me?" "Begin there, Sister," they cried. "Begin right there." "Oh," she said, "God is so good. I praise him all the time for how good he is. For three months I prayed to him for shoes, and look." With that, the woman raised her legs so that everybody could see one foot. One very ordinary shoe covered it. "He gave me shoes. God gave me shoes." The Ugandans went wild. They clapped, they cheered, they whistled, they yelled. But not me. I was devastated. I sat there broken and grieving. In an instant, God snapped me out of my self-pity and plunged me into repentance. In all my life, I had never once prayed for shoes. It never even crossed my mind. And in all my life, I had not even once thanked God for the many, many shoes I had. Thanklessness becomes its own prison, and gratitude is the key that frees us from that prison of discontent. Regularly express gratitude to God.

Secondly, how do you develop contentment? Adopt a life purpose that is bigger than yourself. Address a life purpose that is bigger than yourself. You know, there was a time in Paul's life when he struggled with contentment. There was a time he was trying to be the Hebrew of the Hebrews. He was trying to rise up the ranks of the Pharisaical organizational chart. But all of that desire for more changed the moment he met Jesus on the road to Damascus. Remember what he said in Philippians 3:7-8? "But whatever things had been gained to me, those things I now counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I've suffered the loss of all things. And I count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ." Again, remember, Paul was in prison facing his death when he said that.

So how did he view his life now? In Philippians 1, beginning with verse 12, he said, "Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances—being in prison, facing execution, having my reputation slandered—all of these things. I want you to know that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the Gospel. So that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole Praetorian guard and to everyone else. And that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the Word of God without fear. I rejoice in this situation."

Now let me tell you something, folks. If Paul's life purpose had been that of most Christians today—peace, prosperity, pleasure, the avoidance of pain—that's what most Christians want. If that had been Paul's purpose, then his imprisonment would have been a tremendous tragedy. But Paul had a purpose in life bigger than himself. He knew that God had left him, just as he's left me and you here, for one reason: to share Christ with as many people as possible. And that purpose gave him a whole new prism through which to view his present circumstances, his hard circumstances. He said, "I'm rejoicing because I'm getting a chance to fulfill my life purpose." He said, "Just think about it. The Praetorian guard who is watching over me, they're getting to hear the Gospel." Paul would be chained to a different Roman guard every six hours—four different guards a day. The same guards who were guarding Caesar's household.

Now, just imagine, you're chained to the Apostle Paul for six hours. What do you think Paul is going to talk to you about? The weather? The stock market? The outcome of the latest chariot race in Rome? No. For six hours, he preached the Gospel, and then to another, and then to another, and then to another. That's why Paul said, "This is great." And not only that, people on the outside, Christians on the outside, are looking at my situation, and they're gaining courage to share Christ with as many people as possible. This is tremendous. You'll never be content with your situation, especially the difficulties of your life, until you have a purpose bigger than yourself.

You know, Paul's words here remind me of a conversation I had with Ed Searcy, who was the president of the Steve Wingfield Evangelistic Association. Ed told me that he had made numerous trips to Romania. And on one of those trips, before the fall of the Soviet Union, he met a pastor who had been arrested for preaching the Gospel in Romania. This pastor had been sentenced to the harshest punishment available under Romanian law. He was sentenced to be an exterminator. He would have to spend the rest of his years being an exterminator. But instead of being depressed about it, he rejoiced. You know why? The pastor said, "As I go from house to house killing rats, I get the ability to share the Gospel with all of these different houses in the country where people don't know Christ." That's what the Apostle Paul is saying. Adopting a purpose bigger than yourself is the key to contentment in your present situations.

You know, somebody has written, "If for me to live is money, then to die is to leave it all behind. If for me to live is fame, then to die is to be quickly forgotten. If for me to live is power and influence, then to die is to lose both. If for me to live is my possessions, then to die is to depart with them with nothing in my hands. But if for me to live is Christ, then to die is gain." That attitude, those words can only be penned by somebody who has learned the secret of developing a content heart. St. Augustine said, "Our hearts are restless until we find our rest in Thee, O God."

Maybe you're not at rest right now. You're chasing after something or someone in life, thinking that's the key to happiness. You'll never experience the rest, the satisfaction God wants you to have, until you're in a right relationship with God. And that's only possible through faith in Jesus Christ. You see, the Bible says there is a wall of separation between God and all of us. It's the wall of our sin. Our sin, the Bible says, has become a barrier between God and us. And there's only one way to break down that wall that separates us from God. It's by trusting in what Jesus did for us on the cross to forgive us of our sins. Only when our sins are forgiven can we have a right relationship with God.

You say, "Well, how do I have that forgiveness in my life?" First, we have to confess to God that we are sinners who need to be forgiven. And then secondly, we believe with all of our heart that when Jesus died on the cross, he took the punishment from God that we deserve. And it's through trusting in what Jesus did for us, not in what we do for God, that we find our forgiveness. I don't believe it's an accident that you're listening to this broadcast. God is extending to you the gift of forgiveness. If you're ready to receive it today, if you would like to receive God's forgiveness in your life, I want to invite you, wherever you are, to pray this prayer silently in your heart to God as I pray it out loud, knowing that God is listening to you right now.

Would you pray this prayer with me? "Dear God, thank you for loving me. I know I have failed you in many ways, and I'm truly sorry for the sin in my life. But I believe what I've heard today. You love me so much you sent your son Jesus to die on the cross for my sins, to take the punishment from you that I deserve to take. And right now I'm trusting in what Jesus did for me, not in my good works, but in what Jesus did for me to save me from my sins. Thank you for forgiving me and help me to spend the rest of my life following you. And I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen."

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Nothing brings more joy to our team at Pathway to Victory than hearing how God is using this program to bring men and women into the family of God. And if you're among those who give generously to make Pathway to Victory available on this station, your gifts are changing lives. Recently, we heard from a woman who said, "Pastor Jeffress, after I started listening to Pathway to Victory, I accepted Jesus as my personal Savior, and now I listen every day. In fact, I run out of my office building every day at closing time so that I can catch the program on the way home."

Well, this woman's gratitude belongs to anyone who gives a generous gift to Pathway to Victory. We couldn't possibly accomplish our mission without generous partners like you. For a limited time, when you respond with a much-needed gift today, we'll be sure to send a copy of the devotional book that complements our current series. It's called *Encouragement for the Heart of a Disciple*.

We often fill our days with busy activities and, in doing so, squeeze out the most important disciplines that draw us closer to God. These brief devotionals will help you clear out the junk in your life so that you can focus on what's truly important to God. Include a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory, and we will send you the padded hardcover book *Encouragement for the Heart of a Disciple*. Plus, when you respond today, we'll include a collection of prayer cards as well. These six pocket-sized prayer cards will help you prayerfully articulate your growing heart of a disciple.

Here's David with all the details, and we'll look forward to hearing from you today.

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You're invited to request your copy of the brand new devotional by Dr. Robert Jeffress called *Encouragement for the Heart of a Disciple*. When you contact Pathway to Victory with a generous gift, call us toll free at 866-999-2965 or give online at ptv.org. When your ministry gift is $100 or more, we'll send you the Encouragement Resource Set containing the new devotional, six Clutter Free Prayer Cards, the *Clutter Free Christianity* book, Life Application guidelines, and the *7 Marks of a Disciple* message series on DVD video and MP3 format audio disc set. To request the complete set, call 866-999-2965 or go online to ptv.org. If you'd rather write to us, here's the address: P.O. Box 223609, Dallas, Texas 75222. Again, that's P.O. Box 223609, Dallas, Texas 75222.

I'm David J. Mullins. Putting others before ourselves is not easy, but Jesus is our ultimate model of servanthood and humility. Learn how to develop a servant's heart Friday on *Pathway to Victory*.

*Pathway to Victory* with Dr. Robert Jeffress comes from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas. Experience the breathtaking majesty of America's last frontier on the 2026 Pathway to Victory cruise to Alaska.

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Board Holland America's luxurious Koningsdam ship with Amy and me for a journey that will refresh your soul and renew your spirit.

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Experience the unforgettable adventure June 13th through 20th, 2026. To book your cabin, call 888-280-6747 or go to ptv.org.

You made it to the end of today's podcast from Pathway to Victory, and we're so glad you're here. Pathway to Victory relies on the generosity of loyal listeners like you to make this podcast possible. One of the most impactful ways you can give is by becoming a Pathway Partner. Your monthly gift will empower Pathway to Victory to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and help others become rooted more firmly in His word.

To become a Pathway Partner, go to ptv.org/donate or follow the link in our show notes. We hope you've been blessed by today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.