"I need to lower my expectations and just be grateful for less because that's more spiritual."
How it sounds in your head: Wanting nice things is selfish. Contentment means accepting less. If I desire abundance, I'm greedy. The spiritual thing is to not want, to make do, to be humble by having less.
"Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers."
-- 3 John 1:2Religious poverty spirit disguised as humility, making lack a virtue instead of a curse Christ died to break.
Church culture often glorifies poverty as holiness and shames desire for abundance as carnal materialism.
Solomon asked for wisdom, not wealth, and God was so PLEASED that He gave him wisdom AND riches AND honor—more than any king before or after. God LOVES to give abundantly beyond what we ask, and desiring His blessings pleased Him, not offended Him. INSTANT wealth was God's response to one prayer.
I REFUSE the lie that poverty is spiritual and desiring abundance is greedy. IT IS WRITTEN that God desires I PROSPER in all things, that Jesus came to give ABUNDANT life. False humility that embraces lack is not biblical—it's religious. IT IS WRITTEN that I am blessed with abundant prosperity, that the Lord commands blessing on my storehouses. The BARAK that made Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob wealthy is MINE through Christ's blood. My Father doesn't call me greedy for wanting His promises—He ran to the prodigal with the BEST robe, the fattened calf, ABUNDANCE. Solomon received wealth he didn't even ask for because God LOVES generous giving.
Your Father isn't impressed with you settling for less and calling it spiritual. He's running toward you with MORE than you can ask or imagine, because stingy withholding isn't His nature—extravagant generosity is, and He's already prepared abundance before you even ask.