Rethinking Pleasure in the Spiritual Life
Many Christians quietly assume that pleasure and holiness are opposites. If something feels good, it must be suspect. If it’s enjoyable, maybe it’s worldly. But that isn’t the picture Scripture gives us.
Pleasure is God’s idea. He placed taste in food, beauty in sunsets, laughter in friendship, rest in sleep, and joy in marriage. Paul reminds Timothy that everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if received with thanksgiving (1 Timothy 4:4). Solomon says that to eat, drink, and enjoy the fruit of our labor is a gift from the hand of God (Ecclesiastes 5:18-19). David goes further and says that at God’s right hand there are pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11).
So let’s be clear from the start: not all pleasure is sin.
The problem is not that pleasure exists. The problem is what pleasure can do to a distracted heart. A good gift can quietly pull our attention away from the Giver. Pleasure rarely announces itself as an enemy. It shows up as a harmless extra hour, a small indulgence, a well-earned reward. And one day we realize our hearts have drifted.
Dr. Robert Jeffress, in his Pathway to Victory devotional, puts it simply: pleasure is good, but when it is out of balance, it becomes a problem. He identifies three situations where pleasure goes wrong.
1. Pleasure Is Wrong When It Is Excessive
Almost every pleasure God created is good in measure and harmful in excess. Honey is a gift, yet Proverbs 25:16 warns that too much of it will make you sick. Food, rest, entertainment, shopping, and recreation are all like that. The thing itself isn’t sinful. Our appetite for it grows beyond its proper size.
Practical examples
- Enjoying a meal is a blessing. Eating for comfort every time you’re stressed is a warning sign.
- Rest is biblical. Jesus slept in the boat. But rest that turns into constant avoidance of responsibility becomes laziness.
- Watching a game or a show is fine. Losing three hours every night to scrolling and streaming is not.
Advice
- Set limits before you start, not after you’ve already overdone it.
- Notice the “just a little more” voice. Excess usually begins with that thought.
- Practice occasional fasting from something good (food, social media, entertainment). It trains you to say no to a good thing, so you aren’t ruled by it.
2. Pleasure Is Wrong When It Becomes the Focus of Life
This second issue is subtler. You can enjoy something in moderation and still give it the wrong place in your life. When pleasure becomes the goal, everything else, including prayer, service, family, and faithfulness, gets scheduled around it.
Jesus warned that some people are choked by the cares, riches, and pleasures of this life, and they never mature (Luke 8:14). Paul describes people in the last days as “lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” (2 Timothy 3:4). Notice that the problem is not enjoying pleasure but loving it more.
Practical examples
- Planning your whole week around weekend entertainment while church, prayer, and service get whatever time is left.
- Choosing a career, a home, or a lifestyle primarily for comfort rather than calling.
- Being unable to sit in silence with God because you always need something to stimulate you.
Advice
- Ask the priority question: What do I think about first in the morning, and what do I spend my best energy on? That reveals your true focus.
- Put God first on the calendar. Matthew 6:33 is not just a promise; it’s an order of operations.
- Enjoy pleasure as a reward, not a reason for living. Let it follow faithfulness rather than lead it.
3. Pleasure Is Wrong When It Violates God’s Word
Some pleasures are not a matter of balance at all. They are off limits. No amount of moderation makes sin acceptable. Moses chose to be mistreated with God’s people rather than enjoy “the fleeting pleasures of sin” (Hebrews 11:25). Notice the word fleeting. Sin does offer pleasure, but it is short-lived and costly.
Practical examples
- Sexual intimacy outside of marriage, pornography, and the thought life that feeds them.
- Profit or enjoyment gained through dishonesty or cheating.
- Gossip, which is often enjoyed in the moment but wounds people.
- Entertainment that celebrates what God calls evil.
Advice
- Measure pleasure by Scripture, not by feelings. “It feels right” is not a biblical test.
- Flee, don’t flirt. Joseph ran from temptation. He didn’t negotiate with it.
- Build accountability. Sin loves secrecy. A trusted friend or pastor can help you stay honest.
- Replace, don’t just remove. Fill the space with something that honors God, such as service, fellowship, and worship.
Bringing It Back to the Spiritual Life
The goal is not to become joyless. A believer who fears all pleasure ends up ungrateful, and a believer who worships pleasure ends up empty. The healthy path is the one that receives every good thing with thanksgiving and holds it with open hands.
Here is a simple test you can use this week. Whenever you enjoy something, ask three questions:
- Is this in measure? (Is it excessive?)
- Is this in its place? (Has it become my focus?)
- Is this in line with God’s Word? (Does it honor Him?)
If the answer to all three is yes, then enjoy it, and thank God for it. That gratitude turns pleasure into worship.
The enemy rarely begins by offering something evil. He offers something good, then waits for it to grow bigger than God in our hearts. Don’t fear the gift. Just never let it take the Giver’s seat.
Reflection question: Is there a good thing in your life right now that has quietly grown bigger than it should be?
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