Pleasure

This is the message behind my song "These Pleasures" off my album Intimately Consumed.

Throughout middle-school and high-school, I chose to close my heart and live for myself. In doing this, naturally, I wanted to do what felt good to my body. I have experienced many of the vain pleasures that this world has to offer. By pleasures - I mean the "high's" in life. For example, getting drunk or high or experiencing sex outside of marriage, can bring about a "high" or pleasurable feeling to us. It looks and feels satisfying, but underneath that is complete death. After years of chasing the pleasures this world has to offer (success, sex, drugs, alcohol, popularity, etc), I have realized that they are temporary and do not truly satisfy us. I jumped off the never ending treadmill of meaninglessness.

The Author of Life has created us to live and be in fellowship with Himself. When this is missing in your life- there will ALWAYS be an empty void inside you. You can try to turn to the next thing, and the next, and the next, but eventually that will get old as well. You were made to experience a love that's unconditional which is what our souls long for deep down inside. This is why Jesus says to the women at the well in John chapter seven that if you knew who He was, you would have asked Him for Living Waters and you never would thirst. When you have a relationship with the Lord Jesus, you will never thirst for more and more in life because it brings about true satisfaction. To be accepted, loved, cared for and to have a purpose and experience pleasures that are superior to those of this world. This is found, and only found, in Jesus Christ.

True pleasures and satisfaction is found in the place of intimacy with Christ. Where you are in a relationship with Abba, the Father. There are pleasures in His right hand waiting for you to search out and discover. There is fullness of joy in His presence (Ps 16:11). There is life, joy, hope, peace, patience, goodness, etc in the relationship between the Spirit of God and you. What pleasures are you seeking after? What are you trying to fill that "emptiness" inside with? If it is not fully Christ, I promise you that it will fail you everytime.

You don't have to look any further - submit to Jesus (James 4). He is all we need and the one that can truly satisfy us (2 Peter 1:3). He said, "I will give you living water, and you will never thirst." Ask Him to fill you with His streams of living water. Ask Him for the pleasures in His right hand. Open your heart and submit to Him completely. He is someone you can trust with your everything. Get off the treadmill and start living for something that lasts. Start living for Someone who is eternal, Jesus Christ. Don't waste your life building your own fame and glory, for it will soon pass and fade away. Don't waste your life seeking after the next pleasurable experience. Come to Him whose pleasures know no end. He is who you were made for and He awaits you! Come to Him and enjoy Him. I pray that you would be like Moses, "choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin (Heb 11:25-26)..."

Psalm 21:6 - "For You make Him most blessed forever; You make him joyful with gladness in Your presence."

Psalm 16:11 - In my presence is fullness of joy, and in My right hand there are pleasures forevermore.

Get you some!!