The Spirit of Entitlement
How pride twists the gospel into false teaching and fuels hatred.
In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s death, the national conversation around Christianity has exploded…
…and I’ve never been more heavy hearted.
While some people are talking about revival and a mass turning to Jesus Christ because of his death (and hear me out, this gives me great rejoicing), I’ve found myself stuck in an algorithmic horror of antisemitism and gross misunderstandings of our Messiah.
It is my own fault honestly.
I set up a burner TikTok account and trained it to find me all the people talking about how Jesus and Christianity have been hijacked by white nationalists, and then the flood of people listening to Candace Owens and others who are blaming the Jews for everything. I’m watching people misinterpret Scripture, fall for conspiracies, and spread evil and lies.
I asked the Lord, What is this? Help me find the root of all these false teachings.
He spoke clearly in my heart one word.
Entitlement.
The spirit of entitlement infiltrates our hearts and minds and breeds first a sense of
“I deserve…..”
Let’s talk about that.
The word deserve means to be worthy of.
Scripture makes it clear what we all deserve and what we are all entitled to receive.
We deserve death. We deserve separation from God. Every single human being on Earth who has ever lived and will ever live is entitled and deserving of this fate.
The problem begins here because until you really understand and believe this, you might say something like, “But that’s not fair! Why would a loving God create us and then say this about us?” Or “That’s just for xyz folks. I’ve been good.”
If you want to explore that more deeply, I wrote about this here.
God is the Potter, we are the clay, and we don’t get to tell Him how life works. I use the garden analogy. If you decide to plant a garden, the tomatoes don’t get to tell you how to run the garden.
If you feel bristly at this, that’s pride and entitlement revealing itself in your heart. Keep reading because the news is very very good but it can’t be good until you reckon with your own pride and entitlement.
Free will and the choice to love was a gift God gave to His creation and we used it to rebel and believe we knew better. God’s perfect justice demands that we get exactly what we deserve.
Without a real understanding of where you stand in the grand scheme of things, this entitlement will cause you stumble in two specific ways (probably more, but for the purposes of this article - I want to focus on two).
If you believe you “deserve” good things from God since He is loving, you’ll twist the Bible into self-justification as to why you (and others) are owed these things.
If you believe others “don’t deserve” God’s goodness, you’ll fall into superiority, judgment, and then hatred.
Number one is where we get progressive Christianity, Gnosticism, and other sorts of perversions of the gospel where Jesus is this all love, no justice character and we ignore the entire Old Testament. Number two is where we get all the antisemitic rhetoric and conspiratorial thinking.
Asking the Lord to deliver you from the spirit of entitlement will immediately change your perspective on current events.
First, it’ll give you the opportunity to experience the breathtaking mercy and grace of God through the power of Jesus Christ. The depth of your understanding of His mercy is DIRECTLY related to how well you understood the true just sentence over your life. That’s why entitlement and pride must be dealt with first.
Second, it’ll wipe out the need and desire to figure out who is the good guy and bad guy, who is to blame, and who is hiding or lying (many conspiracy theories rely on this obsession). We’re ALL deserving of eternal separation. End stop. No conspiracy needed.
How you can tell if you’re getting closer to the heart of God or falling for false doctrine is very simple.
You will find your entitlement melting away, and it’ll be replaced with awe and gratitude for the miraculous work of salvation done on our behalf.
The fruit of the Spirit will start to manifest in your life.
You’ll see a greater capacity in your heart to love, even love towards your enemies.
You’ll have more joy in the revelation that you are able commune with God, and that this life is not the end of the story.
You’ll have peace about your soul’s fate and your standing with God (covered in Jesus).
You’ll show more patience (long suffering) for people in your world.
You’ll find opportunities to show kindness, goodness, and gentleness.
You’ll notice that your desire will grow to be faithful to God even at the cost of man’s approval.
You’ll see that you have more self-control in heated situations and crises.
This fruit doesn’t mean you erase the truth. It doesn’t mean you never get angry or sad. It doesn’t mean you forgo your principles. It doesn’t mean consequences don’t show up for sin.
God is perfect mercy and perfect justice. He’s made it clear when Jesus returns, He’s coming as the Lion of Judah and it will be terrifying. He will wage war against His enemies, and exact justice as He said He would. If your version of God is a gentle being who doesn’t deal with sin severely, you’re in for a difficult awakening. Vengeance is mine says the Lord.
Justice is coming.
A follower of Jesus that has been delivered from the spirit of entitlement will breathe and emanate a spirit of gratitude that the mercy of God has covered them. They will pray fervently that those around them who are lost, will come to that same revelation.
As you go about your days, scrolling on TikTok or Twitter, listening to podcasters and YouTubers, watching the news… keep these words in your heart.
“Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness.
Otherwise you too will be cut off.” - Romans 11: 22
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Scriptures you can study on this Sabbath day when it comes to the spirit of entitlement.
The Reality of What We Deserve
Romans 3:10–12, 23 – None righteous, all have sinned.
Romans 6:23 – The wages of sin is death.
Ephesians 2:1–3 – By nature children of wrath.
Isaiah 59:2 – Sin separates us from God.
God as Potter, We as Clay
Isaiah 64:8 – We are the clay, You are the potter.
Isaiah 29:16 – The clay cannot say to the potter, “You know nothing.”
Romans 9:20–21 – Who are you, O man, to answer back to God?
Free Will, Rebellion, and Pride
Genesis 3:1–6 – The original act of rebellion.
Deuteronomy 30:19 – I have set before you life and death…choose life.
Proverbs 16:18 – Pride goes before destruction.
James 1:14–15 – Desire leads to sin, and sin brings forth death.
Entitlement Twisting the Gospel
2 Timothy 4:3–4 – People will gather teachers to suit their passions.
Colossians 2:8 – See that no one takes you captive by empty philosophy.
Romans 11:18–22 – Warning against arrogance toward Israel.
The Fruit of the Spirit vs. Entitlement
Galatians 5:19–23 – Works of the flesh vs. fruit of the Spirit.
Matthew 7:16–20 – You will recognize them by their fruits.
John 15:4–5 – Abide in me and bear much fruit.
Mercy and Justice in God’s Character
Romans 11:22 – Kindness and severity of God.
Romans 12:19 – Vengeance is mine, I will repay.
Revelation 19:11–16 – Jesus returns in judgment.
Micah 6:8 – Do justice, love kindness, walk humbly.
Matthew 7: 16-20 rings loudly in my thoughts when I am interacting with others and when I do see the spirit of entitlement in others. I’ve questioned so much how do they not see these works that are not Christ like. I then have compassion and understand that the spirit of deception is real and that is what I must pray against for my brothers and sisters and so that I stay alert to not succumb to it myself.
Thank you for this outlet Julie. Many of us see what you see also.
Yes! Great and thoughtfully written post! Thank you for the list of verses that back-up what you have shared. There is much feeling of entitlement in this country: we are not being bombed daily (except by negative untruthful news, shooters, floods, earthquakes, etc) but still, most of us have become complacent in our mostly comfortable lives. We havent taken God at His Word, His warnings that are through-out the Bible. Charlie Kirk took his stand and now is with Jesus. He gave his life for Him. The Truth (that you have been sharing) can set us free from worry, stress, expectation, entitlement, resentment and fear. You have been seeking and sharing God’s wisdom. Thank you!