There are little whispers of thoughts that occur deep down. I never verbalized mine, but they were there. "Life is never going to turn out the way you'd hoped." or "God has forsaken you." At first I resisted. As the days went by and I kept getting smacked in the face by these little whispers, I cracked. I said, "it's true." Again, these thoughts were never verbalized or shared, but they killed hope.
What happens next? A resignation. A denouncing of God's promise. I felt "I'm really not ever going to have any lasting joy." What do you do when you believe that? For me, I felt that in life... I'd just have to "grind it out"... Do what I'm supposed to do. Because I belong to God. Joy, though, wasn't an option. I'd have to settle for periodic "relief". Relief in the form of little distractions that cause me to feel good for just a little bit, before I have to face reality again.
This is the plot of the devil. He will "first try to take away all joy from my life. Wear me down. Then, weary and thirsty, I would be quite vulnerable to some counterfeit joy. It would start with mild addictions, then build to something worse. Thus he would destroy all that God has done in and through me. It was so obvious." (John Eldridge. Walking With God.)
John Eldridge hit the nail on the head. This is the plan of the evil one. This is what he intends. Yet as we know from scripture... What Satan plans for evil, God can use for good. God may be allowing this difficult time in life, but I think he wants me to get something good from this time. Get that real happiness (joy) isn't dependent on any outward circumstance, but comes from him. He wants to teach me how to find his joy. I've found it at brief moments, but then I lose my way. He wants me to learn to live it, day in and day out. Nehemiah 8:10 "The joy of the LORD is your strength." My strength to survive this trial is going to come from the strength that is the joy of the Lord. For the moments I've had it, the difficult wasn't distressing. I didn't have this fear looming over me. That isn't from God. 2 Timothy 1:7 "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."
"God, help me to see the attacks of Satan... to acknowledge they are lies meant to destroy me. Help me remember your word, your truth. Defeat the attacks of the evil one and deliver me into your joy and your hope. Amen."
You are either moving forward, or backwards. There is no middle ground, no "staying the same." We MUST move forward.
David
ADDENDUM: God not only wants us to experience a joy that is not dependent on circumstance, but he ALSO wants us to experience pleasure. Why else did he create sex, beautiful sunsets, delicious food, and endorphins?! He delights when we delight in the good things he gives us! I have scripture to back this up.
Psalm 104:14-15,28 (NIV)
He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for man to cultivate---bringing forth food from the earth: [15] wine that gladdens the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread that sustains his heart. [28] When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things.
Psalm 103:1-5
Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. [2] Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits--- [3] who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, [4] who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, [5] who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
Note... This says "good things" not exactly what YOU think is best... What he thinks is best. So, NOT an affair... Not addictions. Not someone else's demise. Just good things... and yes, good includes pleasure. He invented pleasure after all. It is Satan who perverts it. Satan tries harness it for your destruction.
What happens next? A resignation. A denouncing of God's promise. I felt "I'm really not ever going to have any lasting joy." What do you do when you believe that? For me, I felt that in life... I'd just have to "grind it out"... Do what I'm supposed to do. Because I belong to God. Joy, though, wasn't an option. I'd have to settle for periodic "relief". Relief in the form of little distractions that cause me to feel good for just a little bit, before I have to face reality again.
This is the plot of the devil. He will "first try to take away all joy from my life. Wear me down. Then, weary and thirsty, I would be quite vulnerable to some counterfeit joy. It would start with mild addictions, then build to something worse. Thus he would destroy all that God has done in and through me. It was so obvious." (John Eldridge. Walking With God.)
John Eldridge hit the nail on the head. This is the plan of the evil one. This is what he intends. Yet as we know from scripture... What Satan plans for evil, God can use for good. God may be allowing this difficult time in life, but I think he wants me to get something good from this time. Get that real happiness (joy) isn't dependent on any outward circumstance, but comes from him. He wants to teach me how to find his joy. I've found it at brief moments, but then I lose my way. He wants me to learn to live it, day in and day out. Nehemiah 8:10 "The joy of the LORD is your strength." My strength to survive this trial is going to come from the strength that is the joy of the Lord. For the moments I've had it, the difficult wasn't distressing. I didn't have this fear looming over me. That isn't from God. 2 Timothy 1:7 "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."
"God, help me to see the attacks of Satan... to acknowledge they are lies meant to destroy me. Help me remember your word, your truth. Defeat the attacks of the evil one and deliver me into your joy and your hope. Amen."
You are either moving forward, or backwards. There is no middle ground, no "staying the same." We MUST move forward.
David
ADDENDUM: God not only wants us to experience a joy that is not dependent on circumstance, but he ALSO wants us to experience pleasure. Why else did he create sex, beautiful sunsets, delicious food, and endorphins?! He delights when we delight in the good things he gives us! I have scripture to back this up.
Psalm 104:14-15,28 (NIV)
He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for man to cultivate---bringing forth food from the earth: [15] wine that gladdens the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread that sustains his heart. [28] When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things.
Psalm 103:1-5
Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. [2] Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits--- [3] who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, [4] who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, [5] who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
Note... This says "good things" not exactly what YOU think is best... What he thinks is best. So, NOT an affair... Not addictions. Not someone else's demise. Just good things... and yes, good includes pleasure. He invented pleasure after all. It is Satan who perverts it. Satan tries harness it for your destruction.
Comment payback time--ha! Thanks for sharing, David--I really enjoyed this post. "Counterfeit joy" is such a dangerous thing, so enticing in times of suffering and such a subtle form of attack. Anyway, thanks again--very insightful!
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