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Lovers of Pleasure More Than
Lovers of God
But mark this:
There will be terrible times in the last days.
People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of
money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to
their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love,
slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not
lovers of good, treacherous, rash, conceited,
lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of
God-having a form of godliness but denying its
power. Have nothing to do with them.
(2 Timothy 3: 1-5)
I would like to discuss a
disorder that is usually associated with
psychiatry instead of Christian growth and
development. Medical researchers have studied
this disorder for years and they have made some
progress in treating it. Even though many people
experience mild case of the disorder from time to
time (this disorder can come and go), victims do
not usually seek medical help until they are
hopelessly addicted and this is why people are
usually directed toward psychiatry instead of
pastors and spiritual leaders. However, I believe
that fewer people would fall victim to this
disorder if religious leaders frequently
addressed the roots of this disorder because one
root has a spiritual dimension.
Because this disorder can
develop into an addition (addition by definition
refers to a behavior which cannot be controlled
by the victim), this disorder is much easier to
overcome if it is detected at the beginning than
after it has taken control of a person. This is
why ordinary people should be aware of its
symptoms. This disorder is called
obsessive/compulsive disorder or OCD.
From a clinical point of view, obsession begins
when a person becomes excessively anxious,
concerned or focused on something. Obsession can
grow to the point that it begins to cause harm to
its victims and/or those around him. Compulsive
behavior, the twin sister of obsession, is an
unwanted response (the loss of restraint) to the
obsession. If an obsession becomes strong enough,
a victim of OCD will do whatever it takes to
gratify the obsession even though he
intellectually knows that his actions will bring
harm to himself and/ or others around him.
To the untrained eye,
people suffering from a mild case of OCD look
normal, they act normal (at least in public) and
they seem to be getting along with the challenges
of life as well as anyone else. However, those
who are acquainted with victims of OCD sense that
something isnt right even if
they dont understand what is going on. They
realize that the victim of OCD is not balanced,
that is, using good judgment in a particular way.
They detect the victim is making foolish
decisions in some areas of life and they can see
that these decisions are producing serious and
unnecessary consequences. Victims of OCD will
admit that their behavior is not
good, but they are powerless to stop their
obsessive-compulsive behavior. Those who live
with or work around victims of OCD know that the
victim is likely to become hostile if his
obsession is criticized or condemned. Therefore,
it can be very difficult to discuss an obsession
with a victim of OCD because the victim is often
frustrated with himself. He knows that he is out
of control, but he also knows he cannot stop what
he is doing. Even though a victim of OCD has
every intention to do the right thing, he is
unable to follow through. Ironically, victims of
OCD often justify and/or rationalize their
behavior even after it is clear to them
and others around them that the obsession has
become harmful.
Before you say to
yourself, Wow! Im happy that I
dont have OCD, let us examine one of
the many progressions that can lead into OCD.
Please consider these two simple statements:
First, everyone on Earth loves pleasure. (Even a
masochist gets pleasure out of suffering.)
Second, few people are truly content. Because
these two statements are true, most everyone is a
candidate for OCD.
Here is a short test to
see if you are spiritually progressing toward
OCD. Do you love something or someone too much
for your own good? Do you love something so much
that it is hurting you and/or those around you?
For example, do you love food so much that you
constantly overeat? Do you love your work so much
that you do not have time to rest, to worship God
or to associate with your family and friends? Do
you love your job so much that it is more
important than anything else in your life? Do you
love money so much that you cannot bear to part
with it? When was the last time you gave cash as
a gift not counting obligatory gifts such
as birthdays, Christmas, anniversary, etc.? Do
you love sex so much that you think about it
constantly? Do you love your children so much
that you cannot discipline them for their own
good? Do you love your pet more than the people
around you? Do you love fashion so much that you
spend hours shopping or looking through catalogs?
Do you love sports so much you cannot bear to
miss a game when your team plays? Do you love
your car so much that any flaw is distressing? Do
you love the praise of others so much that you
actually think of ways to get praise? Do you love
taking first place in a contest more than those
participating with you? Do you love your home and
furnishings so much that you spend every
available dollar for more stuff to put in your
house? Do you spend more than you should on
things that bring you pleasure? These simple
questions should give you an idea of how OCD can
begin it can begin with loving something
so much that it causes harm.
But Wait! Theres
More.
The devil and his demons
study each of us closely to see what inherited
predispositions we have. They constantly stress
test our want gland to see if they
can create discontent. After they determine our
weakness and the state of discontentment, they
get together and come up with a series of
tailored temptations to induce us into pursuing a
life of leisure and pleasure. Often, the first
temptations into pleasure (self-indulgence) are
not sinful, and this fact makes the devils
effort to stimulate the want gland
very successful. After all, there is nothing
wrong with wanting is there? However,
after we have participated in a little
pleasure and discovered what a good thing that
was, it only stands to reason that more pleasure
is better.
As a lifestyle of finding
pleasure develops, the devil positions us where
he can finally begin to work us over. By leading
us into an acquired taste for pleasure, he has
gained control without causing us to actually
violate our conscience. Very clever. When the
time comes to induce us to sin, the devil tempts
us with a pleasure and the initial for this
pleasure is a small sin. The devil is a master at
gradualism. He is also a master at diminishing
the penalty for sin. In other words, the devil is
a master at making sin look insignificant. He
knows that if he can create an appetite for
pleasure, then he has won a big battle before
sin begins because it will be very difficult
to say no later on in his
temptations. Have you ever experienced this chain
of events?
To illustrate how the
pursuit of pleasure can lead into the grip of
OCD, please consider this sad illustration. Ted
Bundy, the infamous serial killer who was
executed in 1989, confessed that he became a sex
addict when he was a young teenager. It is
believed that he killed a minimum of thirty-six
women. (Even on his dying day, he could not
remember exactly how many women he had killed.)
Shortly before his execution, I saw him
interviewed on TV and I heard him express the
following thoughts to a TV reporter: I am a
victim of pornography. Pornography tool control
of my life at a young age and it created an
insatiable desire for sex that could not be
satisfied. Desire for sex burned within me every
day and my need for sex was so overwhelming that
it destroyed every female relationship that I
managed to start. Sexual deprivation turned into
sexual frustration that turned into sexual rage.
I vented my sexual rage on unsuspecting women
because I knew I could get away with it. I found
relief in raping and killing because it produced
sexual gratification. Violence became the only
way I could silence the churning desire for sex
within me. Homicide investigators have
known for years that Bundys chilling words
are all too true. They call this type of murder
a crime of passion. Actually,
Bundys horrible crimes should be also
called crimes caused by OCD.
I have chosen
Bundys testimony to make three points about
OCD. First, as a young man, he became engrossed
with pornography because it offered some
harmless pleasure. However,
pornographys pleasure isnt harmless.
It eventually demands a sexual experience. I have
heard Christian men claim that there is nothing
wrong with a little porn to keep the
bedroom interesting. They believe that nude
pictures cannot hurt anyone, but this is not true
ask the families of Ted Bundys
victims. Second, Ted became obsessed with sex
through pornography. He fantasized about sex and
he sought out relationships with females for the
purpose of having sex. Because he was obsessed
with sex, no female wanted to be around him for
very long. Consequently, he could not sustain
meaningful relationships and his failure at
finding happiness and contentment caused endless
frustration that eventually turned into loathing
for women. The very thing that Ted loved ruined
his life and it eventually led him to commit
thirty-six murders to achieve sexual
gratification! Third, Ted became compulsive about
sex. He could not restrain himself. Ted Bundy had
a very high IQ. He eluded capture for many years.
The point here is that passion can overrule
intellect. After raping and killing his first
women in order to have sex, he discovered a
demonic sense of pleasure and the rest is
history.
Ted Bundy became obsesses
with sexual pleasure. Yes, he knew what he was
doing was wrong, but he could not control his
passion for sexual pleasure. Because everyone
wants pleasure, everyone has a weakness for too
much pleasure. Is the devil tempting you with
pleasure? Ask yourself (and if you are married,
ask your spouse) is there anything that I love
that is causing harm to myself and/or those
around me?
Keeping the Balance
The human experience is
made up of many facets. God wants us to be
accountable, responsible and self-controlled. He
wants us to be good stewards of the assets He has
put in our hands. God wants to live within us and
give us joy. If our life is balanced, the joy
that comes from the sum of all the parts will
fill our life with contentment and happiness
a genuine happiness that produces health
and well being for ourselves and those around us.
On the other hand, the devil is constantly moving
the world away from God and toward more pleasure
so that he can tempt us to sin with excessive
pleasure. For everything in the world
the cravings of sinful man, the lust of
the eyes and the boasting of what he has and does
comes not from the Father but from the
world.(1 John 2:16)
The devil will do his
best to get us to obsess something that appears
to be innocent at first, but it can become
something that will eventually take control of
our life if we dont watch out! The devil
wants to control us through an appetite for
pleasure and once he gains control, he can use
our obsession to destroy us and the happiness of
those around us. He loves to see OCD victims
imposing suffering on innocent people around
them. You may not be tempted with porn magazines,
but are you tempted with fashion magazines or
catalogs? You may not be tempted with
over-eating, but are you tempted with the
pleasure of eating out more than you should? You
may not be tempted to gossip, but are you tempted
to watch the gossip shows on TV? You may not be
tempted with stealing money, but are you tempted
with gambling, overworking or overreaching to
make more money? Which produces greater pleasure:
Watching a movie for two hours or studying
Gods Word for a couple of hours? How do you
spend your retirement years: Serving God or
enjoying a self-indulgent life on easy
street? Ah, the temptation for pleasure is
so easy so pernicious. No wonder the
apostle Paul wrote, But mark this: There
will be terrible times in the last days. People
will be lovers of themselves, lovers of
money
lovers of pleasure rather than lovers
of God-having a form of godliness but denying its
power. The highway into OCD is a broad
and many are traveling down that road.
We have to be on guard
against the devils tactics. Paul wrote, But
godliness with contentment is great gain. (1
Timothy 6:6) At this time, our nation is consumed
with the pursuit of pleasure-eat, drink and
be merry just as it was in
Noahs day. Pleasure is momentary, but true
joy springs from knowing God, living the life
that He has called us to live. Yes, a measured
amount of pleasure is important in every life,
but when we become hooked on pleasure, we are in
trouble. Too much pleasure deadens our spiritual
interests. Too much pleasure is intoxicating.
When separated from God and His peace, it becomes
easier to experience obsession and an obsession
can lead to compulsive behavior, which in the
end, is harmful and destructive.
The world offers more
entertainment, bigger thrills and chills, extreme
pleasures and greater luxury to satisfy
discontentment, but the Lord offers a peace that
passes understanding. Which do you want? Jesus
said, Come unto me
and I will give
you rest. (Matthew 11:28) He is looking
for disciples those disciplined by His
teachings and matured by His grace. The apostle
James wrote, Consider it pure
joy, my brothers, whenever you face
trials of many kinds, because you know that the
testing of your faith develops perseverance.
Perseverance must finish its work so that you may
be mature and complete, not lacking
anything. (James 1:2-4, italics mine)
If you want to be free of discontentment and
obsession, turn to Jesus, the King of Peace. Ask
Him to give you the power to overcome. His truth
and calling will set you free.
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