The Covetous Heart | The Heart Matters | Jake Poole | November 30 2025 (8:30am)

Devotional

Day 1: God diagnoses covetousness in Exodus 20:17

Exodus 20:17 lays out how covetousness hides in four familiar desires: possessions, relationships, success, and resources. The verse names common things people long for—houses, spouses, servants, oxen, donkeys, and “anything that is your neighbor’s”—to help recognize how a restless, always-wanting heart can masquerade as normal longing and quietly become sin that drives actions and comparisons; the commandment invites honest examination of what is gnawing at the soul and calls for cutting it out before it cuts you. [42:24]

Exodus 20:17 (ESV)
You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's.

Reflection: Which of the four categories named in Exodus 20:17—possessions, relationships, successes, or resources—most often steals your contentment, and what one practical step can you take today (e.g., delete an envy-triggering social feed, set a gratitude list, or confess to a friend) to begin cutting that coveting out of your heart?

Day 2: Covetousness is spiritual idolatry (Colossians 3:5)

Colossians 3:5 exposes covetousness as more than greed: it is idolatry—an act of offering ultimate trust and affection to something other than God. When a desire begins to demand God’s place—when a person believes an object, relationship, or success can satisfy what only God can—then that longing becomes a rival god and the heart is divided; the cure begins by naming that idol and refusing to surrender ultimate allegiance to anything but the Lord. [56:56]

Colossians 3:5 (ESV)
Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

Reflection: Identify one thing you secretly treat as the source of your security or identity (money, status, a person, achievement); today, verbally renounce its claim on you in prayer and ask God to help you re-center your trust on Him instead.

Day 3: Learn contentment by practicing trust (Philippians 4:11–13)

Philippians 4:11–13 shows that contentment is learned by depending on Christ in every situation, not by eliminating every desire or ambition. Paul models a disciple who, even in chains, grows in a practiced peace that says, “I have learned to be content”—a learned skill formed by repeatedly trusting God’s goodness in lack and in plenty; pursuing contentment means saying “Jesus is enough” today while still stewarding faithful action toward change. [01:04:24]

Philippians 4:11–13 (ESV)
11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.
12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.
13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Reflection: Choose one current frustration (job, health, family, finances). List two concrete habits you will practice this week to “learn” contentment in that circumstance (e.g., a nightly gratitude journal entry and a weekly fast from comparison), and pray for Christ’s strength to sustain them.

Day 4: Praise reshapes the heart in hard seasons (Psalm 16:5–11)

Psalm 16 teaches that praising God in the present—even amid danger or delay—reorients the heart from what’s missing to the goodness of what God has given. David, hiding and uncertain, calls the Lord his portion and says the lines given to him fall in pleasant places; praise becomes the spiritual discipline that changes the interior story, reminding believers that God’s presence and provision are the grounds for joy and trust, even before circumstances change. [01:11:56]

Psalm 16:5–11 (ESV)
5 The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.
6 The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.
7 I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.
8 I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.
9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure.
10 For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.
11 You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Reflection: This evening, for five uninterrupted minutes, list aloud or in writing five specific ways God has been faithful in your life (big or small), then sing or read one line of praise and notice how your desire shifts from complaint to trust.

Day 5: The heart, not behavior, is the source of sin (Mark 7:20–23)

Mark 7:20–23 clarifies that outward sins spring from inward soil—the heart—and covetousness often grows there long before it shows up as action. Jesus teaches that evil thoughts, lust, envy, and greed originate within; recognizing this helps people stop treating sinful behavior in isolation and instead attend to the deeper cultivation of the heart through confession, repentance, and dependence on the Spirit to uproot what hides in the secret places. [35:28]

Mark 7:20–23 (ESV)
20 And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him.
21 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder,
22 adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness.
23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

Reflection: Spend ten minutes identifying one recurring sinful pattern (thought or action). Write down the common heart-level desire behind it, then choose one immediate spiritual practice (confession, Scripture memorization, accountability conversation) to begin addressing that root today.

Sermon Summary

We closed our Heart Matters series by naming a sin that hides well and harms deeply: covetousness. Jesus teaches that what defiles us comes from the heart, and coveting is one of those quiet roots that sends up many branches—envy, lust, greed, comparison. I defined covetousness as longing for anything God has not yet given, then walked through the Ten Commandments’ final word to diagnose where it shows up: our neighbor’s house (possessions), our neighbor’s wife (relationships), our neighbor’s servant (success), and our neighbor’s ox or donkey (resources and gifts). It’s not just about stuff; it’s about a restless heart that says, “If I had that, I’d finally be okay.”

We traced how coveting is more than bad desire; Scripture calls it idolatry. In Paul’s world, people welcomed idols because they believed those gods could give what the living God would not. Coveting does the same—we say we trust God, but then quietly decide He’s not enough unless He gives us that spouse, promotion, number, or outcome. Underneath coveting lives unbelief: the suspicion that God’s drawn our boundary lines in the wrong place.

I shared my own stories of longing—when desire led me to push past God’s wisdom in relationships, and later when I held the very life I had prayed for and still felt empty. That ache doesn’t yield to the next milestone. It yields when the heart changes.

Scripture gives two hard but beautiful cures. First, cultivate contentment. Paul “learned” contentment—he practiced it—while under house arrest. Contentment isn’t killing desire; it’s learning to trust God with where I am while walking faithfully toward what might be next. Second, practice praise in the middle of the lack. David, hunted and displaced, could still say, “The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places.” Praise reframes our portion and restores our sight: God Himself is our cup and our inheritance.

So we asked God for grace to lay down comparison, to trust His timing, to bless Him for the gifts right in front of us, and to worship until our heart starts changing. Jesus is enough today—and that is where freedom from coveting begins.

Key Takeaways

1. Covetousness: the hidden hunger for more Coveting is the restless craving for what God has not yet given, often masquerading as a “good” desire. It hides beneath other sins and blooms into action when left unchallenged. Diagnosing it means asking where my heart is discontent with God’s present portion—possessions, relationships, status, or gifts. Learning to name it is the first step to uprooting it. [39:21]
2. Comparison breeds idolatry and unbelief When I measure my life against another’s, I’m not just envying—I’m quietly deciding another gift could satisfy me more than God. Scripture calls coveting “idolatry” because it shifts trust from the Giver to a gift. Idolatry isn’t only statues; it’s the inner bargain that says, “Unless I have that, God isn’t good.” Repentance begins by re-centering my trust in Him. [56:56]
3. Contentment is learned, not found Paul practiced contentment in chains; it didn’t arrive with better circumstances. Contentment doesn’t erase desire or ambition—rather, it anchors both in trust. It is peace in the present because Christ strengthens me here, even as I take faithful steps toward tomorrow. Practice builds this muscle, not passivity. [65:49]
4. Praise breaks coveting’s power Worship in the middle of lack reorients desire and restores delight in God Himself. David could bless the Lord while hunted because he saw God as his portion and boundary-keeper. Praise doesn’t deny pain; it declares God’s sufficiency within it, and that declaration realigns the heart. Lift your voice until your vision changes. [73:38]
5. Wait on God’s timing and gifts Pushing past God’s wisdom to force outcomes breeds compromise and regret. Trust keeps desire under discipleship; it refuses shortcuts and honors God’s pace. Waiting is not inactivity—it’s surrendered readiness, allowing God to give the right gifts in the right season. Often, His timing is mercy we only recognize later. [51:07]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[11:52] - Announcements: Women’s Christmas + Christmas Eve
[13:14] - Congregational meeting and call to worship
[13:37] - Prayer of Thanksgiving
[15:49] - Scripture reading and Heart Matters wrap-up
[34:39] - Introducing the danger of coveting
[36:39] - Story: the rich shoplifter
[42:24] - Four diagnostics from the Tenth Commandment
[55:58] - Coveting as idolatry and unbelief
[61:54] - When having “everything” isn’t enough
[63:11] - Two cures: contentment and praise
[64:24] - Philippians 4: contentment in chains
[67:29] - Trust vs. Stoic detachment
[71:56] - Psalm 16: “pleasant lines” and portion
[73:38] - Praise as practice and sending

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading (ESV)
Mark 7:20-23
20 And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him.
21 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery,
22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness.
23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

Observation questions (3–4)

What specific sins does Mark 7:20–23 say come from the heart? Which of those words stands out to you and why?
The pastor defined covetousness as “the longing for anything in our lives that God hasn't given us yet.” How does that definition change the way you think about ordinary desires? [39:21]
Exodus 20:17 gives concrete examples (house, wife, servant, ox/donkey). Which of those four examples maps most clearly to modern life for you (possessions, relationships, success/status, gifts/resources)? Why? [42:24]
In the sermon the pastor contrasted healthy desire with coveting. Where did he say coveting crosses the line into sin? (Look back at the examples he gave.) [56:56]

Interpretation questions (3–4)

Mark says these things “come out of the heart.” How does that statement reframe efforts to fix sinful actions (e.g., simply changing behavior vs. changing the heart)? [35:28]
The sermon argued coveting is a form of idolatry (Colossians 3 connection). What is the logic there—how does wanting something become worshiping something other than God? [56:56]
Paul “learned” contentment while chained (Philippians example). What does it mean that contentment is learned by practice rather than delivered by circumstance? How does that help explain why people still feel empty after “getting everything”? [01:04:24]
The pastor used David’s language about God as his portion and “pleasant lines.” How does seeing God as one’s portion change the way someone measures success or blessing? [01:11:56]

Application questions (5–7)

Name one possession, relationship, success, or gift you find yourself wanting “if only I had that, I’d finally be okay.” Say it out loud or write it down. How often does that longing show up in your day-to-day thoughts? [39:21]
Tell about a time you pushed past God’s wisdom or timing to get what you wanted (the pastor gave his own story). What did that choice cost you, and what did you learn from it? [49:08]
Paul practiced contentment while restricted. What is one concrete practice you can start this week to “learn” contentment where you are (e.g., gratitude list, fasting from comparison, stewarding time differently)? Try it and report back next group. [01:04:24]
The sermon said praise in the middle of lack realigns our heart. Can you identify a short song, a verse, or a sentence of praise you can use when envy or discontent rises? Commit to using it the next time you feel covetous. [01:13:38]
Are there relationships or social feeds that make comparison worse for you? What practical step will you take this week to reduce that fuel for coveting (mute, unfollow, schedule limits, different conversations)? [51:07]
If coveting is a divided heart (wanting God and wanting a gift more), what is one small, specific decision you can make this month that would demonstrate “trust” in God instead of trust in the gift (for example: wait on a big purchase, decline a compromising relationship, say “no” to an ambition that would force a shortcut)? [56:56]

(Use these questions to help one another identify hidden longings, repent where needed, and practice contentment and praise together.)

Sermon Clips

It's that the real problem in our spiritual life isn't our behavior. It's actually our heart and what grows there. And over the course of this series, we've looked at how sins like lust and lying and deceit and pride and anger, before these sins ever become actions in our life, they root there. Before they ever show up in what we say or what we do, they begin first inside of the darker and deeper places of who we are, in the corners of our heart. And we've talked about how God doesn't just want to change our behavior. He actually wants to change us from the inside out. [00:33:56] (35 seconds) #ChangeFromWithin

Are there possessions that someone else owns that you would give anything to have? Something that keeps you up at night wishing you could afford it. Something that makes you angry with God because he hasn't given it to you yet in your life. If so, then God says you are coveting and you need to cut it out of your life before it cuts you. [00:46:49] (23 seconds) #StopCoveting

In this last commandment God is saying if there is something that you desire so much in your life that you would be willing to kick against God to get it then it has crossed the line from healthy desire to covetous craving and God is teaching us that this puts us at odds with him. In Colossians 3 Paul writes this he says put to death therefore what is earthly in you sexual immorality impurity passion evil desire and listen to this and covetous and covetousness which is idolatry. [00:56:16] (42 seconds) #ChooseGodNotIdols

Here's what Paul is teaching us he’s saying when you covet you are desiring that thing more than you are desiring God you say I want God but if he doesn't give me a husband I don't know if I can trust him I love God but if he doesn't get me that promotion then I'm not sure that he loves me back I want to trust God and I want to follow him but if he doesn't answer that specific prayer that I have I don't know if I want to follow him anymore. [00:57:31] (32 seconds) #TrustOverDesire

See in the process of coveting we are longing to be satisfied by something other than God. John Piper puts it this way he says the covetous heart is a heart that's divided between two gods it's like your affections are split in multiple directions and God because if you worship idols you're not truly worshiping me you're actually trusting in something else more than God. [00:58:03] (28 seconds) #OneHeartOneGod

I remember thinking to myself I had the awareness that I had all of the things that I had ever dreamed that I could have and yet there was still something deep inside of me that wanted more and asking the question why am I not happy why am I not satisfied why have I gotten all of the things that I could possibly want and yet it still hasn't called that fire inside of me see I think this is true for most of us most of our lives are lived moving from one thing to the next. [01:01:54] (34 seconds) #MoreThanPossessions

We go from one milestone to the next accomplishment to the next relationship and we move on and on and on looking searching and searching getting that next thing and yet when we get them we not fulfilled and we never stop to ask the question why all we do but but here's what happens on that hamster wheel as we begin to just continue to run on that there comes a point where we have to realize that it's not our circumstance that needs to change it's actually our heart. [01:02:28] (43 seconds) #HeartOverHustle

God has wired in us this desire inside of us this fire in us this ambition in us to grow and to move forward in our life so Paul is not asking you to kill desire God is not asking you to put this longing away from your heart if it's a good longing what he's teaching you is this he's saying if covetousness is unbelief the cure for it is very simply trust God. [01:09:12] (33 seconds) #TrustCuresCoveting

``I want you to hear this this morning contentment in your present circumstance doesn't mean that you can't take steps to change your situation but it means you are at peace with your present because Jesus is enough. [01:10:18] (16 seconds) #JesusIsEnough

If you want the power to be content it will come through praise when you lift your arms when you lift your heart when you lift your hands to the Lord in the middle of what you don't like and you tell him I'm going to praise you anyway because there's power there because your presence is there because your goodness is there can you praise God for what he's given you today can you praise God even if it's hard can you praise God even if there's loss can you praise God even if your circumstances aren't what they want can you praise God for what he has given praise God through death praise God through every circumstance that comes. [01:13:42] (70 seconds) #PraiseThroughTrials

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