Saturday May 28, 2011

Read 1 Peter 1:3-4. James 4:1-8

There is a lot of corruption in the world today! Der! Great understatement! Such strife is caused by the desires that battle within people. Even Christians are not immune to desires raging within us. Many of these desires are actually God given desires that have been led astray.  We have been created with a natural desires for sexual intimacy but it is quickly led astray by pornography. We have a God given appetite for food, but bulimia and anorexia create an evil desire within us. We were created for relationship and desire relationship but domination and shyness create evil within us.  Jealousy rages and unforgiveness forms irremovable barriers.

As we grow in the promises of God, we participate in the divine nature and we are given an avenue of escape from the corruption of the world caused by evil desires. These corruptions (pornography, gluttony, anorexia, manipulation etc) become less satisfying in meeting our needs. God meets our needs and we experience a deep sense of joy, peace and harmony with God because we are where we are supposed to be - deeply united with God. Our needs are met in God given legitimate ways and ultimately, we grow in happiness.

Here’s a truth we need to really understand. We are happiest when we are where we were created to be and when we function as we were created to function. The further I  move away from my created purpose the unhappier I get, and the more I seek to fill the void with intense stimulants.

We were created to be in relationship with God so naturally, we’ll be the happiest when we are relating intimately and closely with our Lord. Sex is most pleasurable in the boundaries of marriage. Friendships are best when we serve and give rather than take and demand. Appetites are most satisfied when we neither over eat nor under eat.

The implication is clear. If you want to live a life of joy, a life of victory and self acceptance the answer is not in what you do or who you date or what you see on TV. The answer is in God. Grow closer to God. Get to know Him. Find out His plan for your life. Find out what He created you to be doing.

Prayer:-

V Ask the Lord to show you His plan for your life, your role in the body of Christ and you can be serving and ministering to others. Pray this for 10 other people in your congregation.

V Pray that God would unite the scattered believers in His church in North Korea. Pray that these believers will have others to encourage them and build them up. Pray that we’ll see growth in the church and a relaxation of government laws that forbid Christianity.