SHOW UP ANYWAY - YOU’RE NOT MISSING OUT
When Your Appetite for the Kingdom Becomes Greater Than Your Appetite for the World
September 18, 2026
Every day, I find myself becoming less and less interested in the world around me.
Not less interested in people.
Not less interested in loving, serving, encouraging, or fulfilling the assignment God has given me.
I mean less captivated by the things that once competed for my attention.
The noise.
The distractions.
The constant need to know what everyone is doing.
The pressure to keep up.
The fear that somewhere, somehow, something is happening—and I’m missing it.
And perhaps someone reading this is experiencing the same thing.
Your appetite is changing.
Things that once entertained you don’t hold you anymore. Conversations you once enjoyed don’t satisfy you in the same way. Some environments feel different. You may even find yourself craving quiet, Scripture, worship and the presence of God more than you crave what used to occupy your time.
Don’t automatically assume something is wrong.
God may be changing your appetite.
YOU ARE NOT MISSING OUT
There is a message constantly circulating in the world:
You’re missing something.
You need to see this.
You need to experience that.
You need to have what they have.
You need to go where they’re going.
You need to know what everyone is talking about.
But when your heart becomes increasingly centered on Christ, something begins to happen.
The fear of missing out starts losing its power.
You realize that what God has for you cannot be improved by disobedience.
Think about that.
If God tells you to remain somewhere, you don’t have to wonder whether something better is happening somewhere else.
If God tells you to release something, you don’t have to keep looking backward wondering what you’re losing.
If God tells you to separate yourself from something, you don’t have to negotiate with Him because you’re afraid of being left out.
Whatever requires you to step outside God’s will in order to obtain it isn’t something you need.
SEEK FIRST
Jesus made the priority unmistakably clear:
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
— Matthew 6:33 KJV
Notice that Jesus didn’t say seek the Kingdom somewhere near the top of the list.
He said:
FIRST.
Before the worry.
Before the striving.
Before the chasing.
Before the comparison.
Before trying to arrange every detail of tomorrow.
Seek the Kingdom first.
And here’s the beautiful part:
God’s instruction isn’t designed to deprive us.
It’s designed to protect us.
HIS BOUNDARIES ARE PROTECTION
Sometimes we misunderstand God’s boundaries because we only see what He’s asking us to give up.
But what if we began asking:
“Lord, what are You protecting me from?”
Every door doesn’t need to be opened.
Every invitation doesn’t need to be accepted.
Every conversation doesn’t require our participation.
Every trend doesn’t deserve our attention.
Every voice doesn’t deserve access to our ears.
Every image doesn’t deserve access to our eyes.
Every relationship doesn’t deserve unrestricted access to our hearts.
God knows what we cannot see.
Sometimes His “no” is protection.
Sometimes His “wait” is protection.
Sometimes His “come away with Me” is protection.
Sometimes His “don’t go back” is protection.
And sometimes what initially feels like restriction becomes the very thing that preserves our peace.
GUARD YOUR HEART
Proverbs tells us:
“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”
— Proverbs 4:23 KJV
Your heart is valuable.
Your attention is valuable.
Your peace is valuable.
Your spiritual sensitivity is valuable.
So we cannot give everything unrestricted access to us.
The more time we spend with God, the more sensitive we may become to what disrupts the peace, purity and focus He is cultivating within us.
That doesn’t mean we become self-righteous.
It means we become discerning.
There is a difference.
We aren’t called to look down on people.
We are called to keep looking up at Jesus.
LESS DISTRACTED, MORE AVAILABLE
Becoming less captivated by the world doesn’t mean disappearing from it.
Jesus withdrew to pray, but He also returned to people.
He taught.
He healed.
He served.
He loved.
He ministered.
He ate with people.
He walked among people who desperately needed Him.
So Kingdom focus isn’t isolation.
It’s alignment.
We’re not withdrawing because we don’t care about people.
We spend time with Jesus so that when we encounter people, we actually have something eternal to give them.
Maybe the goal can be expressed this way:
Less impressed by the world.
More present with God.
And because of that, more available to people.
YOUR APPETITE IS CHANGING
There are things I once thought I needed that don’t interest me anymore.
And perhaps that’s one of the beautiful things about walking with Jesus.
He doesn’t merely change our behavior.
He changes our desires.
Psalm 37:4 says:
“Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.”
The closer we become to Him, the more our desires can begin to come into alignment with His.
Eventually, obedience doesn’t always feel like losing something.
Sometimes it feels like:
“I don’t even want that anymore.”
That’s freedom.
YOU HAVE THE BETTER PORTION
I think about Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus while Martha was distracted with much serving.
Jesus said:
“But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”
— Luke 10:42 KJV
Mary chose the better portion.
She chose His presence.
And Jesus said it would not be taken away from her.
So if you’ve been wondering whether you’re missing something because your life is becoming quieter…
If you aren’t as interested in what everybody else is doing…
If your appetite for entertainment is decreasing while your hunger for Scripture is increasing…
If you would rather sit with Jesus than keep up with everything happening around you…
Remember Mary.
You are not missing out when you choose the better portion.
THERE IS LIFE IN THE NARROW WAY
Jesus said:
“Enter ye in at the strait gate… because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life…”
— Matthew 7:13–14 KJV
The narrow road won’t always look exciting from the outside.
It may require saying no when everyone else says yes.
It may require leaving things behind.
It may require quiet seasons.
It may require being misunderstood.
But look at where the road leads:
LIFE.
We don’t follow Jesus because we’re afraid of living.
We follow Jesus because He is life.
KINGDOM ENCOURAGEMENT
So, beloved, don’t panic when your appetite begins to change.
Don’t run back to distractions simply because quiet feels unfamiliar.
Don’t assume you’re missing out because you’re no longer interested in everything you once enjoyed.
Ask the Lord what He is doing in you.
Let Him refine your desires.
Let Him guard your gates.
Let Him determine what belongs in this season.
Let Him show you what needs to remain outside.
And remember:
You don’t have to chase what God hasn’t assigned to you.
You don’t have to fear missing what He hasn’t called you to.
You don’t have to consume everything the world offers just because it’s available.
Seek first the Kingdom.
Choose the better portion.
Guard your heart.
Stay close to Jesus.
Because sometimes what looks like you’re missing out is actually God pulling you closer.
Sometimes what feels like separation is protection.
Sometimes what feels like losing your appetite for the world is actually discovering a deeper hunger for God.
And when you’ve found Jesus—
you haven’t missed the best thing.
You’ve found Him.
PRAYER
Father, thank You for drawing us closer to You.
Change our appetites until we desire what You desire. Teach us not to fear missing out on anything You haven’t ordained for our lives.
Guard our hearts, our eyes and our ears. Give us wisdom concerning what we watch, what we listen to, where we go and what we allow to influence us.
Help us understand Your boundaries as love and Your instructions as protection.
Keep us from becoming judgmental or isolated. Instead, make us so full of Your presence that we can return to the world around us carrying Your love, Your truth and Your light.
Teach us to seek Your Kingdom first.
Like Mary, help us choose the better portion.
And when distractions call our names, remind us that nothing this world offers can compare with knowing Jesus.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
Charnette Kay ⚔️
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