Day 294: The Pursuit of Pleasure

By t.pep.me | October 21, 2014 |

Proverbs 21:17

You’re addicted to thrills? What an empty life! The pursuit of pleasure is never satisfied.

Principle

Out of the heart flow the issues of life.

Since the beginning, the addiction to pleasure has been one of the most significant challenges of authentic manhood. It comes from a perversion of the Adventurous Spirit within each man.

Remember, out of our hearts flow the issues of life—our purposes, appetites, and emotions. These purposes are potent for us—they motivate us—and give us the excitement of fulfilling them. A cheap thrill can’t compare to fulfilled purpose. There is nothing more satisfying than fulfilled purpose.

All of our efforts are in the pursuit of pleasure. However, if we pervert the purposes deep within us, we are driven in the opposite direction. Rather than our purposes dictating our appetites, thus releasing the excitement of emotions—we begin to reverse the course. When we live for emotions, our appetites become insatiable and thus perverting our purpose.

By faith, Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose mistreatment along with the people of God rather than enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. – Hebrews 11:24-25

Moses chose to live by purpose. The conflict within Moses was to either enjoy the pleasures his privilege afforded him or fulfill his purpose and realize his potential. Notice this required him to go against his emotions, even his appetite, because rather than have the choice of foods and satisfaction of excessive living, he would suffer mistreatment.