Are we missing out on things if we don’t sin? The correct answer is we are not, but it is complicated.
There is only a finite amount of joy we can have. A fixed maximum amount. A finite amount of fun, excitement, and pleasure (FEP). When we do everything God’s way, we are close to the max amount on all 3 almost all the time. But when we only do a few things God’s way, we experience a below-average amount of fun, excitement, and pleasure (FEP) from normal activities.
So we fight to do things God’s way and our FEP steadily increases. But if we fall we get short-term fun then disaster. With satan’s way, our FEP for the month and year are always lower. With God’s way, our month and year are always higher. Plus once we start overcoming, our today starts to become higher and better as well.
If you want your FEP level high all the time, start aggressively doing things God’s way.
PRAYER
Prayer should be the most joyful time of our day. Once you learn how to do it, and make it a habit, it should be something you want to do and look forward to doing. So take a block of time out of your day and just talk honestly to God. Just start with the Lord’s pray and then move on.
If you are lonely pray, “Father, take away this spirit of drinking/drugs, this loneliness, and prepare me to help others.” If you are bored, pray, “Father, take away this spirit of drinking/drugs, and show me what you want me to do.” If you are sad, pray, “Father, take away this spirit of drinking/drugs, this sadness, and fill me with Your joy.” If you are covetous of other women, pray, “Father, take away this spirit of covetousness and help me to be content.” If you are depressed, pray, “Father, take away this spirit of drinking/drugs, this depression, and fill me with Your fire.
Key point: If you are willing to do something for God someday; your prayers will increase in power.
Write your own 2-way prayer. A 2-way prayer is saying what God wants and saying what you want. If you want your depression gone that is one half. And God really wants your drinking/drugs gone, that is the other half.
I have probably prayed, “Father, take away my spirit of ______, and help me to care about souls,” ten thousand times. Every time I prayed it I was totally sincere. For a long time, I was just another train wreck person trying to quit. But over time I started to change. And now that prayer is really being answered for me. And for the first time in my life this verse is true: Psalms 16:In thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
