Instant Gratification
I
can ‘personally’ remember televisions without remote controls. Back in a
time, when the term couch potato didn’t even exist. In this current
modern world of my forty ninth year living in it; I have seen all kinds
of gadgets and technology come and go.
Today;
I sit and write this article on an awesome laptop that sure beats my
first computer with a DOS only operating system and 5¼-inch FDD (floppy
disk drive).
These
huge advances in technology are likened to a two edged sword.
Technology has made the world and life efficient and effective. Yet! The
flip side is that, it has created a world society addicted to lusting after instant gratification.
Satan has used this to his advantage. I am sure you have heard the term “patience is a virtue”. Satan
has perverted the modern spiritual mindset to believe in all forms of
instant gratification, instant sanctification, and an instant harvest of
spiritual fruits.
Satan
has convinced the world that an instant gratification lifestyle is a
shortcut to spirituality. Instead of regular prayer and waiting on the
Lord, we concoct committees to launch urgent church crusades. Practice
quick fix weekend retreats as a catch all easy solution to otherwise
sophisticated spiritual deliberations.
The
time tested, tried and true Daily Devotional, has been replaced with
the latest and greatest bestseller from the most prevalently popular
televangelist.
Satan
has twisted the spiritual walk into an instant gratification false
discipleship program of the 21st century! Forget about Life-long Bible
scholarship, just swallow this new age ‘now’ tolerance of everyone and
everything world religion.
Although
the term “patience is a virtue” is not a direct quote in the bible; it
is in part, derived from verses in the bible dealing with the trials we
endure in life.
We can gain the virtue of patience if we wait and trust in the Lord.
(James 1:2-4) My
brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing
that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have
its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
(Psalm 40:1-3) I
waited patiently for the Lord; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry.
He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And
set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps. He has put a new song
in my mouth — Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will
trust in the Lord.
In this world today people are in such a hurry to acquire all the secular accouterments they can. This makes it easy for Satan to manipulate them into debt and financial slavery to amass superfluous personal belongings thought to bring comfort and joy.
The
Lord God Himself dwelt in a tent (tabernacle) and waited patiently 480
years for mankind to build Him a cedar house after He delivered Israel
out of the land of Egypt. King David had the desire to build a temple
house in Jerusalem after the wilderness years of the Exodus (2 Samuel 7:4-13), but the bible records; It was his son Solomon who was given the actual task. (1 Kings 6:1)And
it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the
children of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year
of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the
second month, that he began to build the house of the Lord.
Now
that!..is what I call practicing what He preaches. If God can wait 480
years for a house. We shouldn’t fall prey to Satan’s tricks and demand
materialistic items “NOW” instead of waiting on the perfect provisions of the Lord.
Why Wait?
One of the most challenging exhortations of Scripture is to “Wait.”
Wait on the Lord;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the Lord!
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the Lord!
In
spite of this modern age and our disdain for waiting, the simple facts
are;…life is full of waiting. But waiting, despite our impatience and
our loathing for it; Waiting is a vital aspect of life.
I’m sure you have heard it said, “Rome wasn’t built in a Day!” So it is with spiritual maturity. We must renew our hearts and minds to first please God rather than gratifying our flesh. (Romans 12:2) And
do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing
of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and
perfect will of God.
We must focus, and learn to obey God in all areas of our lives. The key
to spiritual maturity is the calm consistency by which we persevere to
do all things, which we know will please God and draw us closer into
relationship with Him; therefore becoming Christ Like. (Galatians 2:20) I
have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ
lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith
in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
A
lifestyle of Instant Gratification seeks to destroy the need for God!
Jesus did not teach us to live a life of self gratification, self
satisfactions, self reliance, and self servitude. This kind of lifestyle
is a slap in the face to God…..(John 18:23) Jesus answered him, “If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why do you strike Me?”(Galatians 6:3) For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
God’s Ways
God desires desperately to work in and through our lives. We must “WAIT,” grow, and learn what is His perfect will for our life. Once you think you have it figured out; “WAIT” some more. God is not on your time-line. You are on His. (Isaiah 55:9) “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.
You
may ask, “Why wait? What is the reward?” I said, that “Waiting is a
vital aspect of life.” The fruits harvested from waiting on God is Anything and Everything! Even provisions and blessings that you didn’t even know you needed. (Ephesians 3:20-21) Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, (Isaiah 40:31) But
those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount
up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall
walk and not faint. (Lamentations 3:25) The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him. (Psalm 37:7-9) Rest
in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who
prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to
pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret—it only causes
harm. For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the Lord, They shall inherit the earth.
Now that we have undoubtedly established that waiting on God is “indeed”; Truly and opportunity!
This allows us time to mature and for God to set in motion the
orchestration of provisions needed to equip the ballad of our lives, in
harmony with kingdom dynamics; Which sings the sweet rewards of real comfort and joy!
With
the blessing comes responsibility and good stewardship. You must prove
that you can faithfully handle any monies, blessings, properties, and
responsibilities that God establishes in your life.
Show me the Money
So many times the Lord will bless a person, only to have that person turn right around and blow it!! Do not drop the ball now! If you want to continue on in these blessings, you must continue to do the things that brought the blessings in the first place…GOD! (Luke 16:10-13) He
who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who
is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. Therefore if you have
not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your
trust the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in what is
another man’s, who will give you what is your own? “No servant can serve
two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or
else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve
God and mammon.” Note: Mammon means Money
I am sure you have also heard it said, “Do everything as Unto the Lord.” While this is not a direct verse from the bible is does come from this verse. (Colossians 3:23) And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, The
point being, that if Jesus and being Christ Like is kept as the
fundamental focus of your attention; then it is certain to please the
Lord. (Matthew 25:21) His
lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were
faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.
Enter into the joy of your lord.’
Old School is New School
Now; to those who insist or persist in thinking that instant gratification, instant sanctification, and an instant
harvest of spiritual fruits are acceptable doctrine, and that the
modern enlightened spiritual mindset are “New School” ways of thinking. I
will leave you with and “Old School” warning from the Bible.
(Mark 8:36) For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
Any thoughts or comments?
