Do you like honey? Don’t eat too much, or it will make you sick! Proverbs 25:16 (NLT) We’ve been on a series over the past few days discussing the traps many people fall into as they search for happiness. One common trap is looking to pleasure to bring happiness. Many turn to work, food, shopping or sports for the happiness they crave. While there’s nothing wrong with these, things can quickly get out of balance. After all, pleasure is meant to be the dessert of life, not the main course. God has given us plenty of good, healthy things to enjoy in this lifetime. He’s given you the ability to enjoy great food, music and fun. But if you haven’t developed the ability to experience …

Sweet sleep comes to those who work hard, regardless of how much or how little they’ve eaten. Ecclesiastes 5:12 (VOICE) Over the past few days we’ve been discussing happiness traps. People often try to find happiness in ineffective ways. They go after it through possessions, money, status and success, and although there is nothing wrong with any of these on their own, they only result in temporary happiness. Another major misconception people have is they assume that more leisure time will bring them happiness. They think that if they could afford more time off, they’d be happier. Some put up with unfulfilling lives hanging on to the hope that when they retire, they’ll finally find the happiness they’ve been waiting for. Unfortunately, they’re often disappointed. …

So I became greater than all who had lived in Jerusalem before me, and my wisdom never failed me… But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless—like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere. Ecclesiastes 2:9,11 (NLT) The joy of the Lord is your strength, according to Nehemiah 8:10, but this joy is something you have to develop. Going after temporary highs and happy feelings just doesn’t cut it. When you go after joy and happiness the wrong way, it burns up precious time and energy. It ends up leaving you disappointed because the good feelings are only temporary. Possessions, for example, don’t bring joy. You can buy a new car or boat …

The cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. Mark 4:19 (NKJV) Happiness isn’t something that appears in our lives automatically when we begin a relationship with Jesus. There are several things we need to do to increase the level of joy and peace we experience in life, but many times we chase happiness the wrong way. One of these happiness traps involves the deceitfulness of riches. Riches are deceiving because people are often falsely persuaded to believe that more money will result in more happiness. It’s misleading because riches don’t necessarily result in contentment. I’m not saying that God wants us all to be poor. There’s nothing wrong with …

Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man who trusts and takes refuge in Him. Psalm 34:8 (AMP) It’s amazing how prevalent unhappiness is in our world today. With all that we’ve learned through modern psychology and medical science, you would think that we would be living in the happiest of times. Yet depression and anxiety-related disorders are on the rise. And I’m not just talking about those who don’t know Jesus. Christians are also affected. Becoming a Christian doesn’t automatically result in happiness for the rest of your life. There are skills and truths you need to learn from the Bible so you can live the life God has for you. For example, some struggle to believe that God wants us to be …