Pleasure

Pleasure, a feeling of satisfaction and enjoyment, is often misunderstood by many, especially the religiously spiritual ones. Because of its immense dilution by Satan as a counterfeit of genuine pleasure which is God Himself, many have disdained the very usage of this word, and even much more the very subjective experience of it. Satan is too aware of God's intention for His children to enjoy Him as the greatest pleasure, he introduces via crooked and fallen minds, many evil, unhealthy and dirty counterfeit of pleasure in the form of sinful pleasure, earthly enjoyment and worldly entertainment. Its form are varied; changing and developing with the pace of time and ages. Nevertheless, God's desire for man's enjoyment of God should not be deterred.

Interestingly, after God created man, He placed him in Eden garden with his counterpart (Gen. 2:15). Eden, beautifully means pleasure, signifying God's desire for man to enjoy Him as his ultimate pleasure; the presence of God which is the fullness of joy forever. This is God's desire and good pleasure too. But this can be experienced only in the mingled spirit, the subjective holy of holies where God as the Spirit dwells within us, by the living, walking and the exercise of our human spirit.

Today the counterfeit pleasure are mostly external; fleshy and fleshly, pertaining to sinful enjoyment of the indwelling sin in man, in his flesh. This indeed is a kind of pleasure too, though negative and sinful in nature and very short lived. This is where the whole created man is trapped since the fall. This is why Christ had to shed His blood for the forgiveness of our sin, the personified and embodied sin in the flesh.

A more decent yet sinful pleasure is of the soul; of the unrenewed and crooked mind, an undealt emotion and untamed will. These from of pleasure may not be outrightly sinful in the eyes of man, but in nature is sinful. The world has enough to offer a delightful treat to the soul. In fact, man has spent most of his time and energy for this soulical pleasure. In a gentleman's vocabularly, this is just a decent and normal lifestyle. However, to the living among the dead, the two are just sinful of varied degree each.

The highest and holiest pleasure is that of God and God Himself. His presence means all to those who are truly His. Riches or poverty, sickness or health, life of death, good or evil, day or night does not affect this genuine pleasure. The Psalmist of old have written a lot in poetry and hymn about this ultimate and consummate pleasure, God Himself. Once one experiences God's presence, all the counterfeit pleasure of Satan are far too inferior even to reckon, much less compare with the superior and extreme enjoyment of God Himself.

The Lord in His mercy gave me such experiences at times. And mostly in the Body of Christ, when coordinated and in oneness, His presence is always there. And also when one lives and walks in the spirit, the presence of God is enjoyed. Last night the Lord gave me such experiences of enjoying His sweet presence. O what a joy! Praises and worships and thanksgiving overflowed, This indeed, is the experience of the third heaven! O how I long that the Lord visit me likewise all the days of my life, and to all His children. Yet, this is just a foretaste of the New Jerusalem. All our being, doing and living are for this. Lord, Your presence, our pleasure...