After being announced as the State President of NCCF that year, I gave myself to fasting and prayer. In the middle of that season, a respected father in the faith invited all newly appointed excos for lunch at one of the finest hotels in the city. I was faced with a choice: break my fast or miss the meal. I put purpose before pleasure.
Friend, are you going to pursue pleasure at the expense of purpose? There will come a point in your walk with God where you must choose between comfort and calling. Between enjoyment and assignment. Between good and God (Luke 4:1-4). These are defining moments. Heaven is watching how we respond (Hebrews 12:1-2).
Some things are not sin, but they can still stop your destiny. For Daniel, eating the king’s meat was not a sin. But it would have compromised God’s plan for his life (Daniel 1:8). In choosing purpose over pleasure, you realize that some things are not wrong in themselves. But you have chosen to live by a higher standard (1 Corinthians 6:12-13).
Maturity is choosing between good and God (Hebrews 5:14). The test is rarely “evil vs good.” The real test is “good vs God” (John 6:15). If you are still arguing whether something is a sin or not, you are still operating as a baby in the faith. Something may not be sinful but is not chosen for you.
Never trade the ultimate for the immediate. Don’t let your stomach become your god (Philippians 3:19). Don’t let what you eat eat up your destiny. Hunger for food, sex, money, and power are legitimate hunger placed in us by God. But you must manage them properly.
For many, the hunger for God has been replaced by hunger for temporary things (Psalm 63:1-3). They have traded the eternal for the mundane. Like Esau, they sold their birthright for porridge (Genesis 25:29-34, Hebrews 12:16). Like David, they allowed one moment of pleasure to affect their destiny (2 Samuel 11:1-5). Learn to put purpose before pleasure.
‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria