Who doesn’t hope for happiness in this life. That’s a statement not a question. The quest for happiness is a common pursuit for most of us. So much so, that it is considered by many as the ultimate human goal of life. Just ask any parent what they hope for their children and the most common response is ‘to be happy.’ Or ask any young person what they hope for their future and again the most common response is happiness. This happiness quest is the fuel that can drive the ‘why’s’ of what we do.

Enter the enemy! He is keenly aware of the dilemma such a quest can present to an individual. What is the dilemma you may be asking. Well, consider the following Scripture verses:

Proverbs 16:20 says “… the one who trusts in the LORD will be happy.”

Psalm 112:1 says “Happy is the man who fears the LORD, taking great delight in His commands.”

Psalm 128:1, How happy is everyone who fears the LORD, who walks in His ways!”

The above verses highlight where the quest for happiness begins.

The first verse reveals that trusting in the LORD secures our happiness.

The second verse says that fearing the LORD results in taking great delight in obeying Him.

The third verse connects fearing the LORD and walking in His ways as producing happiness.

If you noticed happiness is a by-product of knowing the LORD and living in obedience to Him. In contrast, Satan would have us start with ourselves. He would have us decide what makes us happy, then go searching for it. Can you see how that throws everything out of sync?

Upsets in life can threaten the happiness we might have achieved in our quest. So we must see that happiness is often a journey, not a destination. If we want to arrive at that happy destination then our obedience to follow God’s lead will get us there.