Oh! how the devil plays games
with us! Isn’t it amazing that whenever people, especially in the part of the world
where I live, talk about “enjoying life” which is our way of describing “living
a good or fun filled life”, we often are thinking about things we ought not to
do (lustful pleasures) especially as believers. Indeed, godly things are no longer
thought of as exciting. Even when believers talk about a fun filled life, we
often are describing a life filled with lustful pleasures; one that that
satisfies man’s every desire and/or whim. The world’s ideal, which is in truth satan’s
ideal, has become the standard for “enjoying life”. This is another lie of
satan who introduces his way of life very craftily; and very subtly, makes it desirable.
Sadly, a number of us have bought this lie. Longing for and pursuit of this
life he offers, whilst even still in church, is taking us away from the narrow
way that leads to heaven.
Ecclesiastes 2: 1 “I said to myself, ’come on, let’s try pleasure. Let’s
look for the ‘good things’ in life. But I found that this too was meaningless.”
Ecclesiastes 2: 9 – 11 “So I became greater than all who had lived in
Jerusalem before me, and my wisdom never failed me. Anything I wanted, I would
take. I denied myself no pleasure. I even found great pleasure in hard work, a reward
for all my labors. But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to
accomplish, it was so meaningless-like chasing the wind. There was nothing
really worthwhile.
Interestingly, this quest to “have
fun or enjoy life” is unending or insatiable. The more of this worldly ‘fun’
one has, the more of it one desires. There is a ‘god of this world’ behind this
drive who doesn’t miss an opportunity to take an ordinarily simple desire and
make it his instrument to destroy the believer. The quest for fun can take one on
a journey that had never occurred to him/her. The more we long for and get caught
up with his thoughts on enjoying life, the worse thoughts he throws at us. No
wonder sexual perversion is at its worst and something as nice and simple as the
desire to be fashionable is becoming twisted. The boundary for dressing has
been pushed beyond reasonable limits so much so that it is now acceptable and
highly fashionable to be naked though clothe because the clothing fabric is very
sheer and worn without undergarments deliberately putting the wearer’s body
fully on display. It is worthy of note that at some point, civilization included
wearing clothes that cover us unlike the “cave men” era when they just covered
themselves with a few pieces of animal skin. Okay! Okay! I wasn’t there but so history
and pictures tell us. Where did we get it wrong? Are God’s ideas really boring
or are we deceived?
Romans 14: 17 “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or
drink, but of living a life of goodness
and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
Titus 2: 12 “And we are instructed to turn from godless living and
sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness
and devotion to God.”
John 10: 10b “My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”
There is no doubt that satan does
not like the God way of life, neither does God accept or like His way of life making
it a non-option for a believer in Christ. God who made all things cannot be
boring so why would He offer us a boring life. God Himself made different types
of people, plants, food and in His ways, exemplifies a life full of excitement.
Why would He then make our lives dreary and boring? I dare to suggest that
satan is ‘messing’ with our minds making his killer ways attractive and he may
be succeeding because most of us don’t know about the life God offers us so
that we are often at one extreme of life or the other; either totally off the mark
or so ‘into God’ that we don’t exist. God wants us to exist but in Him. He
wants you to be the person He made you to be but instead of finding the right
balance in the word of God wherein our culture is described, we have turned to
the world, buying its culture which leaves us confused and/or lost in a culture
that makes us ‘misfits’ because it’s not ours. We then become victims suffering
deep insecurities and/or low self-esteem; desperate to make appoint to the
world, indirectly satan, that we also can “enjoy life.” Whenever we try too
hard to prove a point, it is most likely that we lose sight of reason and are
lured away from what is proper by this strong desire to prove a point. When we
are so consumed by desire, even for a good thing that it takes us over, we run
the risk of the desire becoming a tool in the hands of the enemy to destroy or
work against us. Our love for God is the only passion that we should be lost
in; every other desire is controllable. With every temptation, God makes a way
of escape; please find it. We can’t afford to be so consumed by desire to have
fun that we find it outside Christ. Our God is fun loving. Moreover, in Christ we
exist, enjoying life.
Acts of Apostles 17: 28a “For in Him we live and move and exist.”
Proverbs 10: 23 “Doing wrong is fun for a fool, but living wisely
brings pleasure to the sensible.”
Ecclesiastes 11: 9 “Young people, it’s wonderful to be young! Enjoy
every minute of it. Do everything you want to do; take it all in. But remember
that you must give account to God for everything you do.”
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