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Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Feelings?

6. We’re extremists.

When something has been so abused and misappropriated, we don’t want to be associated with it. We might even run to the opposite extreme and make a virtue of being somber and sad. I mean, if Joel Osteen says it’s good, it must be bad, right?

7. Negativity is easier.

Although God made us perfectly holy and perfectly happy, sin has broken us to the very core of our beings. Our now perverse characters and twisted personalities often find it far easier to see the negatives than the positives. Sadness is our default, and it takes a lot of difficult work—spiritual, mental and physical work—to get above our default and strive for happiness. Far easier to trundle along in the doldrums.

8. We have a wrong view of the world.

As this world is fallen, sinful and dying, we must not see or enjoy beauty in this world. That would be too unspiritual, too carnal, too “worldly.” However, God has given us richly all things to enjoy. Even though this world is fading, the Christian should be able to see more beauty and wisdom in the world than the non-Christian, and enjoy and delight in it far more.

9. We have a wrong view of the Christian life.

The Christian life is a life of repenting, of sorrowing over sin, of grieving over our unbelief, of weeping with those who weep and so on. But that’s only half of it. We are to be “sorrowful yet always rejoicing.” We are to “rejoice in the Lord always.” We’re not to replace our sorrow with joy but rather join both together in a balanced harmony. How many, many times in the Bible is the Christian called “blessed”? No, I know, it’s not the same as happiness, but happiness is usually a large part of it.

10. We have a wrong view of God.

If we think “happiness is suspect,” our view of God is suspect. To put it another way, our essential and primary view of God will be our essential and primary emotion.

If we think of God only as a stern, judgmental, angry, suspicious, reluctant, cold, unfriendly and distant figure, that’s what we’ll be like.

However, if we think of God as forever blessed, as full of goodness, grace and love, as rejoicing in saving sinners, as delighting in His people, as passionate about communicating Himself to His people, that’s what we’ll become.

Fight back.

Why should the devil have all the good feelings? Let’s reclaim happiness from the devil, grab it back it out of his evil grasp, and put its energy back in the fuel tank of the Christian life. “The joy of the Lord is your strength.”