When it comes to the kind of life we want, most of us would agree that we want “the good life,” however that is defined. The confusion comes when we try to decide just what this good life means for each of us. The mainstream media feeds us the world’s definition of this kind of lifestyle, which may include things like lots of money, big houses, or expensive cars. However, there’s more to life than meets the eye; most people miss the spiritual underpinnings that are even more important than physical appearances.

There’s nothing wrong with having the finer things in life, as long as we realize that acquiring them shouldn’t be our overarching goal. If that’s all we’re aiming for, as soon as we get them, we’ll find that it’s just not enough. Jesus warned against putting too much emphasis on collecting worldly goods. “And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth” (Luke 12:15).

The popular slogan “the more, the merrier” lets us down because it doesn’t take into account that wealth and material possessions are simply empty things if we pursue them for their own merits. On its own, an overabundance of possessions doesn’t make life one bit more enjoyable. “Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness! The more you have, the more people come to help you spend it. So what good is wealth—except perhaps to watch it slip through your fingers!” (Ecclesiastes 5:10, 11, NLT). The quality of a person’s life isn’t measured by how much money they have.

God loves us and wants the best in life for us, and He doesn’t want us to get confused on this point. Some people are willing to sacrifice everything dear to them and compromise what they believe in, to get a step or two closer to experiencing the life they think they want. The devil is the king of glitter, glitz, and illusion. His plan is to fool us into chasing after something because of prestige or surface appearances. “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life” (John 10:10, NLT).

Most people don’t know God or have a relationship with Him. As a result, they look for things from the world that only He can give. “For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh [craving for sensual gratification] and the lust of the eyes [greedy longings of the mind] and the pride of life [assurance in one’s own resources or in the stability of earthly things]—these do not come from the Father but are from the world [itself]” (1 John 2:16, AMPC). This is a trap the devil has devised to fool us into thinking that the source of our prosperity can be found in the world.

The truth is that when we trust God to lead us, our faith puts us in a position to allow Him to bless us profusely. We’ll never have to worry about what kind of a life we’ll end up with when we rely on Him. “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). He supplies not just material wealth, but also what really matters—the accompanying peace and joy that we all want.