People spend much time pursuing ambition, material possessions, and lusts of the flesh and of the sin nature, when infinite peace and joy are available to them every day. People allow peer pressure in the work place, social groups, and other relationships to keep them distracted and competing for temporary happiness and material possessions.
Inordinate ambition and materialism are a combination of lusts such as: power lust; approbation, greed, envy, coveting, and pride. In today’s society, thought patterns have been so masterfully and subtlety influenced by the secular media that people are not even aware of their own depravity. Instead of walking in the Lord, life has become an ego trip.
There is nothing wrong with having a nice home, a new car, a fun party. It is the thinking or motives before the acquisitions that I call into question. When we want relations with our spouse for example, is lust the driving force, or is it a genuine desire to be intimate expressing affection and love?
As believers, we need to ask ourselves what is the driving force? What motivates – even captivates our thinking? Who or what motivates our thinking – God, self, others, the world we go out into everyday?
What about the “doctrines of demons?” Doctrines of demons is the psyche that says drinking to excess is okay once in awhile; viewing adult material is okay as long as I don’t have relations with someone other than my wife. In other words, justifying your thought processes and your actions.
When our friends say that being a Christian is boring, ask them, are they Christian? If not, how do they know it’s boring? Christianity, through God’s Word, gives life perspective and proper orientation to God and the world. Bible Doctrine gives the believer peace, inner happiness and divine viewpoint on life. The world does not know the peace that God gives to the soul.
Most believers are just like their secular (unbelieving) friends and co-workers when they should be testimonies of a God centered life. Believers are too busy running the race of life to live it for God or slow down and walk with God.
The secular world lives for itself and will perish in ego’s arms, without Christ.
There is a void in man’s soul and he spends his life trying to fill it with all the wrong things. Believers in Christ too often imitate the world when they should be out there imitating Christ.
God designed man to respond to God and His Word. God designed His Word to fill the void in humanity’s soul. If Bible doctrine doesn’t fill the soul, then the world, the flesh, and the devil absolutely will.
You can live life your way or God’s way. But think about this: If your friends and relatives, neighbors or co-workers die without Christ, could you have made a difference?
The weight of self is self-destructing for believers and unbelievers alike.
Happy Studying!